AKA Bounty Hunter
by SylverWing
Summary: Ayame Taylor, Kekko Yurigami and Akira Heinsmen working in the post war world as Fugitive Recovery Agents. Ten years after the war- a serial killer strikes the heart of Capitol, going after Bounty hunters. When the finger gets pointed at the girls of A.K.A. Bounty can they prove their innocents before someone else gets hurt? Will Preventer help them? LOOKING FOR REVIEWS!
1. Introduction

_**AUTHORS NOTES: **__**This is the **__**ORIGINAL STORY **__**dealing with the O.C's Ayame Taylor, Kekko Yurigami, and Akira Heinsmen. You may recognize them from earlier published Fan-fictions, and you may also know that those fan fictions have gone on extended hiatus. This story, and my orginal content novels are the reason why. More in Author's note at the end of chapter. **_

_**DISCLAMIMER**__**: I do not own any of the material present from the anime/manga series Gundam Wing, I use this content under the fair usage policy of the international copyright laws, in this policy it allows for entertainment with no profit gain. I do Own the Creativity Licence for the plot written within this story, as well as all original content added there in. All original content may not be duplicated or used with out (my) the authors WRITTEN Permission. **_

_**Many thanks for putting up with the author note, and disclaimer. Now I hope you enjoy my baby, the pride of my Fan-Fictioning for the last uncounted years. **_

_**AKA Bounty Hunters**_

_Introduction_

_**The thrill of the chase through rain slicked streets was one of the most intoxicating to a hunter. The sound of the prey**__**'**__**s panicked breathing, their faltering foot falls, always leaving the hunter to wonder when they would finally fall. **_

_**It was made all the more exciting with the rolling thunder over head and energized air of the storm about to reach it**__**'**__**s fingers out to the city. **_

"Aka Bounty." Ayame Taylor answered her cell phone in a fluid practiced motion, effortlessly lifting and pinning the small device between her ear and shoulder, feeling her long black pony tail sliding over her back. The .9 mm Sig Sauer in her opposing grip clicked as the parabellum cartridge was slid into place.

"_Hello, Little Bird." _The voice on the cell phone brought her expert hand to stall momentarily as she slid her weapon into her leg holster.

"Morris?"

_**It was interesting watching the human mind, once so accustomed to being the hunter, now having to cope with being prey, watching their struggle unfold into their reactions. **_

_**The hunted already knew that the prey was done for, the chapter closed on their pathetic attempts at life; yet their bodies always tried so valiantly to survive. **_

_**The hunter could almost hear the panicked thought of 'just one more step, just keep moving' or this hunters personal favourite 'almost there.' **_

_**Some prey did say such things to themselves, but not this prey. Thinking it, yes, but actually saying it- never. The prey was proud, a war veteran with a body count nearly as long as the hunters. A valiant adversary if there ever was one, yet not the perfect adversary **_**that**_** adversary was farther up the list. **_

_**The hunter hated having his skills tested, but that was the game every hunter played. **_

_**The hunter rounded a corner in the dark over cast alley way, side stepping in time to miss being hit with the thrown two-by-four piece of wood. The prey turned and continued running. Reminding the hunter that he had to pay attention with this one. **_

She lifted her gaze- trying to catch the emerald green eyes of her running partner- the taller red headed woman grumbled incoherently under her breath as she turned in a half circle. Long ago used to being interpreted before a hunt the phone call hadn't phased her in he least. She had indeed toned out the conversation, completely intent on getting everything prepared for the hunt.

"Kekko, where'd you put the mace this time?!" The woman called as she turned to walk away.

"Weapons locker, third shelf, left hand side. Where it always is." A phantom voice echoed from another room, and Ayame sighed as she secured her Sig Sauer to the holster with the strap.

"_You sound busy there." _

"We're just prepping for a hunt, what do you need?" She questioned lowering her foot from the chair she had propped it up on and bent down to tighten the straps of the holster for a better fit- and less chance of chafing if she had to run- which was always likely.

She watched her running partner return from the weapons locker with three cans of mace in hand. She placed one can before her on the table, all the while tapping her wrist to remind Ayame that no hunt waited for phone calls.

"_I just wanted to let you know I have a meeting tonight, an important one." _

Her hand froze half way to the can of mace, her ears picking up the slight hitch in the man's voice. He was worried, greatly worried about who ever he was meeting.

"Do you need a second pair of eyes?" She asked, knowing full well that this hunt would end before it began if the man said yes. She owed him more then the money she'd make hunting a dirt bag. She owed him her life more times over then she could ever repay.

"_No, but, I was hoping for a little insurance, just to be safe." _

"Name it." was her quick response, as the owner of the phantom voice stepped into their 'at-home-war-room', her hands full with the mandatory Kevlar vests. Her heterochromatic eyes fell upon her with brow risen.

She pulled the phone away from her ear and switched sides as she stood up right sliding the Mace into her opposing leg holster.

"_Listen, Don't you go dropping what ever hunt you're on. I just need you to know who and where I am meeting. Mina is out of town for another three days and she'd have my balls on a silver platter if I didn't make sure someone she trusted knew where I was going. The informant's street name is skizzy, and despite his name, he is more often then not full of good intel. I am meeting him at pier 7 in the industrial district."_

Ayame watched as Kekko Yurigami, the phantom voice, efficiently secured Akira's vest, before pulling her service badge over her own half on vest and turning for Akira to return the favour. 

Kekko stood five-feet-four-inches high, with her ever pleated brunette hair and soft round features, she didn't paint the picture of a Bounty hunter or even an information networking specilist, but she was both. Her bewitching Hetrochromatic eyes could grow soft on command, and gather intel from people with out them realizing they trusted her until she had left the building. The woman had a boxers build, having been raised by a boxer for a father, she had acquired a love of the sport at a young age, and continued to relentlessly train despite the memories of her parents the sport dredged up.

Akira on the other had was Tall, slender and fully packed with muscle, her face was sharp and angular but not in a distressing way. It matched with her short pixie cut red hair. Despite her name, she screamed Irish in heritage, of course it helped that Akira Heinsmen hadn't existed until A.C. 196. The woman was a mystery to those who didn't know her and with her background in he performing arts she could change from one character to the next in the blink of an eye. In the past she talked to the same person twice and they didn't have a clue.

Ayame Hummed, a sound she didn't use often, and it was enough to have both of her business partners turning to look in her direction. It was hard to ignore them while she was talking to Morris, the three of them had been through a lot together, and in a way the war had brought them to where they were.

She turned her gaze to look out the large industrial windows facing east, forcing herself back on track an keeping her mind away from memories that Morris brought up with his husky smoke burnt voice. The sky was a deep shade of grey and the predicted storm that was coming in wouldn't be but a half an hour away.

"Why are you meeting them in this weather?" She asked of the man putting her own feeler out, gauging if the man needed back up that he didn't want. Ayame knew that Akira and Kekko could if need be, do the hunt on their own- She didn't want to leave them high and dry if she didn't need to, but they would understand when it came to Morris. The man was more then family.

"_It's important." _

"Morris, don't avoid the question." Turning she shifted the phone to her other ear as she picked up her own vest. She always kept one side of her vest secured so she could slide it over one arm and secure it on her own- more or less. She did so now having to shift the phone again to secure her shoulder. Regardless of how the conversation went, Ayame wanted to be prepared.

"_Skizzy called me today, he has some information on the L-2 incident 5 years ago. Something that Preventer missed." _

Ayame felt her back straighten, the L-2 Incident was something that people who heard about it couldn't believe even in those colonies, and those who where there, in the thick of it would rather forget.

"Preventer missed a lot this is hardly hot news." She knew her voice had lowered as it usually did when she felt threatened, or didn't like a topic of conversation. She felt both at the mere mention of those damnable colonies.

"_Taylor, I am not stupid, don't think to forget who taught you everything you know about this business and survival."_

Ayame felt her eyes widen at the man's tone of voice. He rarely got defensive when it came to her stating a fact. Skizzy must have dropped some kind of bomb shell over the phone to get the man so hot and bothered. She was about to give Akira and Kekko a signal that she couldn't make the hunt when Morris spoke up again.

"_I already told you _not_ to think about dropping your hunt. Do not think that I need _your_ protection. I am fully capable of getting the job done by myself." _

"Wouldn't dream of it. But turn on your cell phone's GPS so that way we can track you while your meeting this _skizzy_ because I don't trust him as far as a four year old could throw him. I have never doubted that you could get the job done Morris, there was a reason why I stuck around your unit, and it wasn't for your glaring personality either. You of all people should know that it's better to have someone watching your back then to have it exposed. I don't like that your going alone, but I won't question you, just go armed." Ayame lifted her left arm as Kekko wordlessly tightened the vest where Ayame couldn't reach.

"_Done." _

The man's tone of voice softened and Ayame knew that they both had struck nerves. Ayame knew full well that people where beginning to question Morris still hunting at his age. Nearly fifty he should have been lazing on a beach somewhere.

Morris also knew that Ayame was protective over people she considered family- having none of her own left, the man knew better then to question her reasons for drilling him.

"Good, Now we have a dirt bag to catch and you have a slime ball to meet. Akira will turn on the tracker we have for our phones, and if you don't call me by 0800 tomorrow with details, I will come looking for you." Ayame heard the chuckle though his voice as he responded.

"_I'd look forward to being chased by the 'pretty' girls of A.K.A. Bounty. If I didn't fear for my for my health once you caught up to me."_

The man hung up with out further preamble, as Ayame snapped closed her phone she turned to find Akira already bent over her computer in the corner typing away at a speed that made her own hands burn in sympathy.

"Everything good?" Kekko asked as she finished with the vest adjustments.

"Doubt it, but right now I don't have a choice but to wait." She really didn't like Morris going to meet anyone alone when it dealt with L-2, she remembered that hell, it made most of the war look like a game of capture the flag.

_**The Rain that had been forecasted hit with the full force of a hurricane, the hunter had lived through a few pretty bad hurricanes and was glad that this region of the world rarely, if ever got storms this bad and they **_**never**_** got worse. It would have made the hunt far too difficult, even with the prey hobbling along at a snails pace. **_

_**The rolling thunder snapped through the sky now, no longer peaceful and keeping with the ambiance the hunt had started with. It was annoying, nerve-grating even, but one couldn't always get mother nature to follow their well laid plans.**_

_**Picking up the pace was dangerous, for this prey was smart and only wounded. It had to be worn down more before the kill was made, and the trophy collected. **_

_**It would be interesting to see how much longer it would last, between hunter and hunted. It was so hard to predict when and how the kill would be made, especially with the veterans of this game. **_

_**It was going to get interesting, the hunter just knew it.**_

Akira raced ahead, Jose Ramaro was fast on his feet, but so was the star runner of AKA bounty- more so when she was ticked off- which if her yelling threats at poor Ramaro was any indicator, then she most definitely was ticked off.

'The rain wouldn't be doing much for her mood either.' Ayame found herself thinking as her legs pumped automatically. The wind violently pulled her tight poney tale behind her and made hearing Kekko's Voice all the more difficult.

"_You have an alley on your right Aya, take it now!_" Kekko's static filled voice announced through the tiny earwig in her ear. She dipped down the alley way, and watched startled eyes lift off the ground to watch her progress through the trenches of the capitol's most populated slums.

She didn't waste time meeting any of the eyes that lifted, she had one target tonight, and she didn't want to draw it out any more then necessary by missing a turn, or even worse yet locking eyes with the wrong kind of slum dweller. Some didn't need any reason to jump in the way and cause trouble.

"_Left!__"_ Kekko practically screamed, and Ayame followed the instruction, feeling the tread of her combat boots barely making contact through the run off mud pooling at the turn off entrance.

Her breath was puffing out of her semi parted lips in a series of wafting vaporous clouds. Despite the cool air whipping around her she felt the sweat running down her back and sides. Every time the wind changed direction in the wind-tunnel of an alley way, Ayame felt like she was going to be pulled off the ground and blown away.

She put 90% of her concentration on staying on her feet and moving in a forward direction as fast as humanly possible so when Kekko's next call came through the ear wig, she nearly jumped out of her skin.

"_Stay! Stay!__"_

The call Forced her to slide to a stop, her feet nearly sliding out from underneath her, forcing her half gloved hands to grip at the concrete wall beside her for added support.

"Shit, A little more warning would be nice. We are after all in the worst predicted rainstorm in the past ten years. The slime is slippery." She griped knowing that Kekko was all the while rolling her two-toned eyes from the warmth and relative safety of the company van.

"_Buck up, this is what we get paid for, and it's in my contract that I don't do torrential down pours, it's the trade off of being the paperwork junky." _Kekko responded as Ayame took controlled deep breaths to try and regain her stamina before Ramaro and Akira ran up on them.

As she breathed, her gaze peered into the darkened back entrances of the shops that lined the alley, she didn't need to be snuck up on by a would be 'helpful pedestrian' or worse, by one of Ramaro's friends.

Once she was sure they where clear, Ayame slid herself into the darkest one, waiting, knowing that Kekko had a tactical advantage while sitting dry in their transport vehicle.

Their ear wigs where fitted with micro GPS chips, allowing the woman to keep track and co-ordinate their hammer and anvil tactic. Or as some had taken to calling it _the ghost manoeuvre_.

The sky let loose a series of bright lightning strikes streaking through the air. The thunder that followed was deafening, so much so that she almost didn't hear Kekko's warning of _'Coming up.'_

She slid out of the shadows, no doubt looking like a spector as she did so.

The man was 20 feet away from her, and on his last legs. If His scrawny chest heaving up and down though his ragged shirt was any indicator.

His hands shook with adrenaline, his dark hazelnut brown eyes were blood shot, and wider then a deer watching the headlights of an oncoming truck. Yet, it was the way his body twitched spasmodically that gave him away.

"He's cranked." She cursed, and watched Akira's head nod before the woman made a slow stalking advance forward.

_**The hunter wondered how the prey chosen could keep his stamina up so high, while this prey had been a soldier, he was also an old man now, the war's long in the past and he didn't even hunt as often anymore. Instead letting a trio of women do his hunting for him. **_

_**The hunter had been pleasantly surprised by the tenacity of this prey, the cunning and swiftness of his reactions made the hunt all the more fun. But now the target was cornered, the maze of back alleys in the industrial sector was the best in the city to hunt in, prey got turned around and confused so easily. **_

_**Rats the lot of them. **_

_**He began his final approach of the prey who had done so well. **_

_**It was a shame to have to end it. **_

Time seemed to move slowly as Akira moved forward inch by inch. To keep herself from being pulled into the lure of times movements, Ayame forced her voice to project as far as it would.

"You really screwed the pooch on this didn't you Ramaro?" She asked slowly, watching as those deer in the head light eyes focus on her fully.

"Fuck that, I ain't back in yet. Still got'a catch me."

She made a show of looking behind her.

"I'm between you and your exit aren't I? What do you think your chances are of getting past me in such a small space? There was a reason I am called a pit-bull after all."

He rose his bushy brow, "You're just a woman." His lips curled in a smile as if this was the funniest thing in the world. He tossed his head back to laugh, yet he caught Akira's approach in his heightened peripheral vision.

His drug enhanced reflexes had him jumping to the side just out of Akira's reach and pulling a knife from his pants brandishing it as if it was a sword.

"No ya don't reddy." The man said as he lunged.

Akira jumped out of his first strike, and then his second. Ayame watched anxiously as the woman danced out of the way of Ramaro's wildly swinging blade, waiting for her moment to jump in and bring the man to a halt.

She couldn't risk her gun, chances were she'd hit Akira, then the woman would be right pissed off. Not to mention the added paperwork she'd have to do and the insurance company would throw fits. The mace was out with the rain pouring down in sheets, never mind the tazer- electricity and water didn't tend to mix well.

"Your. Not. Takin. Me. In." Ramaro said as he slashed at Akira with each word.

_**The prey thought it was so wise, that it**__**'**__**s last words would be so well thought out, so perfectly scripted for a Hollywood movie. Or maybe it still truly believed that it could win. **_

_**It was something to think on, how could it win, even with that small piece of metal pipe in it**__**'**__**s grimy paws swinging wildly from side to side keeping the hunter from approaching. **_

_**It was cornered and this was the curtain call. The hunter reached into their coat, pulling a Sig Sauer out of a shoulder holster, and levelled the weapon with the prey.**_

_**The kill was never as good as the chase, it was a shame that it had to end so soon. Ah well, that was the game. What could the hunter do but finish what was started? **_

She jumped, straight onto middle of the fray. Shifting away from the knife dead aimed toward Akira. Bringing her arms out in a double fisted block, Ayame stalled the knife hand, and crowded his space. The man- cranked or not- still had reflexes, His free arm wrapped around her midsection squeezing with a strength that only came from the drugs he was on. She tried to force his arms further away from her by pushing against the pressure, she didn't need a cracked rib- that would just piss her off.

With his knife hand blocked, He stretched and pulled the knife free and made a move to embed the dirty blade into her stomach.

Ayame didn't have much of a choice or time, she was forced to duck under the controlled arm, pulling it with her. He followed her lead to keep his shoulder from being pulled out of socket. The man was smart, and she wondered where he went so wrong in life to wind up as a junkie social drop-out.

"Drop it." She warned, tightening her hold on his arm, pulling, moving to over extend his wrist and elbow. Not an easy feat with her hands slipping on his rain slicked skin.

His response was in the form of his knife biting through her coat and finding the flesh of her own extended right arm. She was mildly surprised that she kept her grip on his arm as he kept applying pressure to the wound.

While she held and grit her teeth against the pain, Akira Moved in and attempted to get an handle on his stabbing hand. Ayame saw the silver flash of the woman's cuffs.

As Akira cuffed the knife hand, he fought back, twisting and jerking his arm towards her trying to elbow the her in the face. With one arm down Ayame had to redouble her effort just to keep her hold on him and not pull on the knife.

In the struggle The knife was pulled out of Ayame's skin, sending a burning to course through her entire left side. Ayame dimly hoped she hadn't skipped any of her tetanus shots.

She couldn't allow herself the moment to think about it or the pain, as Ramaro's foot flew out colliding with Akira's chest, stumbling her back- putting all of his 178 pounds of weight against Ayame.

She shifted her feet to keep her hold of him, but he stepped around behind her supporting leg, knocking her off balance.

"Ah hell-" She hit the ground like a ton of bricks. The next thing she saw was his raised boot coming off the ground. She could see Akira still pulling herself off the ground.

If she didn't act fast- out of sheer reflex, and nothing more she shifted towards his planted foot, smacking the oncoming foot away from her body. She could see his eyes widen in surprise as his foot sent up a spray of water as it hit the ground hard. Staggered, Ramaro was frozen in place for but a moment, yet that was all Ayame needed.

All in one motion, from practice through out her life before her own efforts in the war, and even after chasing pricks like Ramaro- Ayame rolled, Hooked her bottom arm around his ankle, all the while gripping his knee.

She pulled rolling away from the leg, applying the pressure to his knee, sending him face down into the rain water. Her right leg pulled over his captured foot and she pulled back on his ankle joint.

He grunted as he landed, and he tried to buck her off his leg, but she followed the pull with a twist, effectively breaking his ankle. The sound masked by a loud distant explosion of thunder.

Akira lumbered up beside Ramaro, using her foot to move the dirty blade away from his hands reach, before she leaned down and cuffed his free hand to the other. Only when Akira tapped her on the shoulder did Ayame release the pressure on his broken and quickly swelling ankle.

"Pull up. We got him." Akira's voice said into her own coms device attached to the earwig.

Ayame found herself on her feet watching the blood dripping from her finger tips blooming in the rancid water of the old quarter- bringing back memories that were better left to the past.

_**The sound had echoed through the alley much like the storm raging all around. Now the prey lay slumped against the wall of an old warehouse like a marionette who's strings had been cut. Steam lifted from the body as the rain cooled it.**_

_**The scent of the hunter**__**'**__**s work was over powered by the refreshing rain, and repugnant raw sewage seeping through every available space. **_

_**This kill brought a satisfaction to the hunter that hadn't been felt for a very long time. **_

_**It was interesting, that no matter how many prey tried to escape, the hunter always got the prize. Even if the job was only half done- the hunter didn't mind the dirty work. It was the insult to the injury.**_

Authors Notes: _Hello and Welcome to AKA Bounty Hunter. This story has been refitted and formatted a couple hundred times, and was originally a creation when I was younger looking for a good reason for my character, can't have her the way she is just because, it's not realistic. So the back story was created after I figured out she'd be a bounty hunter. (thank you to dog the bounty hunter for the inspiration way back when) _

_Thus this story has taken me a lot of time, and pretty much hogged all of my muses attention- so between this and my own two 'to-be-published' novels and real-life (what ever the heck that is) I haven't really gotten around to doing much with the stories I have posted on Fan-Fiction._

_For those of you going, WHAT ABOUT Reality Check Please!? _

_I can't say I know what I am doing that that any more. As I am sure your aware it was a present for a friend of mine who went away to university four years ago now, and given that it has taken me four years to get as far as I have it is actually shocking that I haven't given up on it long before now. The plot is riddled with wholes and to be honest I can't remember the whole premise I was working on for the story anymore. But If you guys really (really?) like RCP, Just let me know and I'll try to find a way to keep it going. (And make sense) _

_Until then, _

_PLEASE REVIEW and THANK YOU FOR READING !~ _

_(P.S. yes that was __ONLY__ the introduction) _


	2. Chapter 1: Hospitals and Procedure

_**DISCLAMIMER**__**: **__I do not own any of the material present from the anime/manga series Gundam Wing__, I use this content under the fair usage policy of the international copyright laws, in this policy it allows for entertainment with no profit gain. __I do Own the Creativity Licence __for the plot written within this story, as well as all original content added there in. All original content may not be duplicated or used with out the authors (my) WRITTEN Permission. _

_Many thanks for putting up with the disclaimer. _

_**A.K.A. Bounty Hunter**_

_**Chapter One: Hospitals and Procedure **_

The drive to the hospital was filled with the sounds of the windshield wipers swishing against the glass, and Jose Ramaro's whimpers of pain. They had made it practically to the hospital before Ramaro started speaking, or rather wildly threatening everything from their lives, to their jobs, to jail time for excessive force. Kekko wasn't nearly as amused about their latest captures banter as Akira was, and the woman sitting beside her was hardly amused.

_"I'll sue the lot of you for excessive force, and reparations that you'll have to pay will force you to live in the slums you picked me up in!"_

Akira turned in her seat, making direct eye contact with the man slumped against the door. "Oh don't worry Jose, the green backs will have an excessive force investigation already in the works before we transfer you to federal custody."

Kekko was glad they pulled up along the emergency room doors when they did, because the look on Akira's face as she climbed out of the van into the hospital spoke of murder. The woman had a temper that matched her fiery hair. A few moments later, Kekko spied two security guards, and two RN's Pushing a gurney walking out of the Emergency room doors, Akira speaking in an animated fashion to the Security personal.

Ayame who was perched in the back seat behind Ramaro had finally spoke, breaking into a silence Kekko hadn't noticed. _"I trust you have the paper work and transfer handled?"_

Kekko didn't turn around, instead opted for meeting Ayame's shockingly blue gaze through the rear-view mirror. "Of course, as much as I can do given he was your contract."

Ayame nodded swiftly and made to climb out of the van, Kekko had to unlock the door as she squeezed around Ramaro's bench seat. As the woman turned, Kekko caught an eyeful of red. Kekko watched one of the RN's Jog over to where Ayame stood just barely at the front end of the van. She looked like a drowned rat, her wind blown black hair was plastered to the side of her face, one that Kekko thought was a mixture of soft and hard. Kekko watched as the r.n. lifted the field dressing, winced and pointed to the Emergency doors. Kekko felt her eyes narrow, knowing that she'd be having a talk with that R.N. and the doctor when she got in there.

No scratch made R.N's wince like that.

~X~X~X~X~X~

She sat back in the hard plastic seat with her eyes closed. Her arm throbbed something painful, but at least the Nursing staff had given her something for the pain. The hospital was going through a shift change, and thus they where understaffed for another ten minutes. Ayame pushed her still damp bangs from her from head, idly scratching the skin there. She wondered if it was a good thing or a bad thing that the emergency room staff knew her by name or not.

'_Maybe I should pick a few easy hunts for a change?'_ she thought to herself as the emergency room doors swished open, allowing the damp air to rush the room, and bringing with it, Jose Ramaro ranting like a lunatic about lawsuits, and unjust medical care. She pried open her eyes in time to see Akira slap him on he top of his head. The stunned look that came to the man's face brought a smirk to her own lips. The smirk faded as she thought _'He was supposed to be one of the easy hunts.'_

Kekko who had followed the gurney into the area, walked over to the nurses station, the woman sitting behind the desk pointed to the phone. Kekko wouldn't be long on the phone, but they would be there for a while waiting for the justice department personal to show up.

Ayame closed her eyes again to wait for the doctor.

"The justice department confirms the warrant, which was known they would, they're sending Thompson and Callaghan to do the initial paperwork and transfer." Kekko stated as she stood before Ayame. The sudden sound of Kekko's voice made her jump, a jump she couldn't pass off as anything else, and simply nodded to the woman's words.

She already knew how the procedure would go. After five years of being in the business it was something that stuck with a hunter. The only thing that due process had going for it was it's predictability- that and they didn't have to stick around all night for a Preventer to roll out of bed and take statements. The justice department did the initial walk through of the events. Preventer only harassed you after the fact. Taking their sweet time to pick at and pull apart a decision that had barely a split of a second to be decided, and acted upon.

"How long do you think it will take for Preventer to give us the green light to go on another hunt?" Kekko questioned sitting in an empty seat beside Ayame, who grimaced slightly hoping it had come across as a smirk.

"The company isn't barred from hunting, _I_ am under temporary suspension. _I _was the one who broke his ankle. Thus _I_ am the one in Preventer's shit books until they decide otherwise." She turned her head to face Kekko proper, while keeping it propped on the back of her chair. "You lot are just witnesses to the event, and Akira could in theory be held liable for the event in question, if the Preventer wanted to be a dick. It's unlikely."

Kekko nodded slowly, and Ayame knew what was coming next by the look that was plastered on the woman's face.

"So a scratch eh?" The woman asked as she leaned back in her seat, bringing Ayame to shrug.

There wasn't anything to say on the matter in her opinion. She could still move her fingers even with the swelling so it wasn't likely that she needed surgery to fix tendons or nerves, and the bleeding had all but stopped when she applied pressure to the wound site. A slow bleed was a good bleed in her experience. If she had of been in the war still, she wouldn't have bothered with stitches at all, she would have burned the wound closed, picked up her rifle and continued with the business that needed doing. She had done so on a few occasions, and still had the scars to prove it.

"Don't shrug at me Ayame Taylor, That moron stabbed you." Kekko said through gritted teeth.

Ayame knew her blasé reactions to injury infuriated Kekko, neither one of them was going to change their ways, so it was just something that Kekko would keep trying to drill into her head, and Ayame would remind her it wasn't worth the time.

"I know what he did, I was there remember. However I didn't see the point of telling you more than a scratch and having you pushing the gas pedal more than you did to get here. I like living if it's all the same." She forced a smirk on to her features even if she didn't particularly feel very cheeky. Ayame knew it was wrong to make Kekko feel like shit because of her overprotective _mother_ like nature, especially when Ayame was much worse than Kekko could ever be when it came to the defensive details. Ayame had to remind her self of this when Kekko snipped out;

"He stabbed you in the arm, do you know what kind of damage that could have done! Medical sciences have advanced beyond the time of the Pre-colonial Era, but there are still things that are time sensitive for most procedures to work. Never mind the idea that the bastard could have hit your arteries!" Kekko stood from her seat, the metal legs squeaking annoyingly against the vinyl flooring. "Christ Ayame, you really need to start worrying about your welfare more than you do. This isn't the trenches anymore. It's been ten damn years!"

Ayame followed Kekko's pacing as she ranted and waited for the woman to stop and look at her before lifting her right brow.

"Kekko, I am flattered you are risking all those threatened premature grey hairs by worrying so much about me, but don't forget, I can self diagnose in the field. If I felt the stab wound was of major concern beyond a couple of stitches then I would have told you. You're my sister, not my mother. I don't need a lecture from you when the grand ol' doctor is going to do that well enough." Ayame slowly closed her eyes forcing herself to take a deep breath. "Now, do you feel better?"

Keeping her eyes closed Ayame wasn't able to see Kekko's expression, but by the soft sigh and the sound of hands slapping thighs, Kekko had tossed her hands in the air. "No, and we both know we're going to have this same discussion the next time you get injured on the job."

Ayame Peeked open her left eye watching Kekko moving to sit beside her again. "Of course we will, because you're the normal one in this strange twisted sisterhood of Hunters. Eccentric when you get into plotting a novel, but normal nonetheless."

"I'd punch you but you're injured and with my luck I'd get social services called on me." Kekko quipped earning her a true smile.

"_So you're back again are you?" _

Ayame took a steady breath and opened her eyes to look up at _her_ emergency room doctor Martha Jameson. The woman was five feet eight inches in height and her platinum blond hair made Ayame think of straw. Of course she kept this observation to herself, after all it was prudent that one kept their doctors happy and never insulted- they tended to be less gentle when stitching wounds if they where insulted.

"You know me. I'll do pretty much anything to get the job done."

The women's brown eyes flattened, "Uh huh, like being someone's punch me clown. Follow me."

Ayame pulled herself off the chair just in time to see the blue uniforms of the justice department men walking through the main doors.

"Saved by the doctor." She muttered earning a slight chuckle from Martha.

"Well if you didn't do _quite_ so much to get the job done then you wouldn't have to go through so much procedure."

Ayame followed the woman in silence all the way to the room that she would be staying in while they conducted all the tests and stitched her up. The doctor barely got the door closed when a soft knock echoed from the other side. Ayame sat down on the crinkle paper lined bed cradling her arm watching as the woman opened the door held out her hand, then said flatly,

"You will have your chance to interview the subject officer when I give you the okay, that is part of the perks in being the doctor and not the justice department."

As Martha closed the door in the officers face, Ayame couldn't contain the chuckle that bubbled up her throat.

"Like I said, Saved by the doctor." Ayame repeated herself with a nod of her head.

"Well if I was you, and thank every god ever conceived I'm not, but if I was, I wouldn't want to talk to anyone until the stitching was over and I had a good hefty dose of painkillers in my system." The doctor pulled a pair of hospital scrubs off a shelf and set them on the bed beside Ayame. Then opened a clear plastic bag and set it on top. "Everything but your socks, shoes, and underwear."

Ayame looked at her arm, mentally cringed and started to removed her clothing, starting with her coat, the vest, tac belt, then looked from the bag to the pile on the hospital bed. _"Damnit."_ She muttered to herself before flexing her fingers on her injured arm.

It stung painfully, but she could open the bag with that hand and slide everything inside. Before she even had a chance to act on her thoughts, Martha grumbled a _For gods sake_, before opening the bag and stuffing the items into it waiting for Ayame to finish undressing herself. What normally took a minute tops took closer to ten and Martha had stepped in a second time to untie Ayame's boot laces.

Getting redressed was much easier for Ayame, as the hospital scrubs where hardly form fitting, and there was significantly less of it. Once she was once again decent, the doctor opened the door, this time wide enough for Ayame to see the russet coloured hair of one constable Thompson, his hazel eyes landed on her instantly.

"I won't be long Ayame, just need the before pictures and measurements of the stab wound." The friendly giant of a man said. He towered above her and was at least a good four inches taller then Akira.

Ayame liked Thompson he was inherently a gentile soul, but could get aggressive when he needed to. He was a good cop, one who didn't care what fraction of law enforcement one worked in. Most officials, didn't like the idea of bounty hunting, because it was a profession that promoted people to go chasing felons, and/or because it 'demeaned' the runner to less then human. Ayame and Thompson where of a like mind when it came to those kinds of arguments- they where a waste of time.

Ayame held out her arm and let Martha unwrap it. The RN who cleaned the wound and wrapped it until Martha was paged, had used an over excess of bandages- or so Martha muttered as she unwound the wrapping.

"How's the wife Thompson?" Ayame asked, having met the woman at a few law enforcement functions she had to attend the year before.

"Doing alright, doubt you heard but we're expecting." The man beamed like a shuttle guidance system on the moon. The smile was infectious, and instantly lightened Ayame's personal mood.

"I am happy for you, you'll make a great dad." Ayame wasn't surprised that she meant every word, but she was slightly surprised that her tone was light and airy.

"She's not that far along, only two months but she's already going through her 'nesting' stage." Thompson said as he pulled his shoulder bag off and opened it, retrieving a digital camera.

Ayame winced as the bandage peeled off the stab wound and Martha apologized as she tossed the large wad of useless gauze in the trash can. It practically filled the small reciprocal. She glanced at the wound and felt her lip turn up at the shining new blood that oozed to the surface, the puffy swollen wound looked more like a shining red water balloon then an arm.

"Ouch." Thompson muttered as he started taking pictures from all angles, and even taking a comparative photograph with her left arm in the shot to show the swelling. Ayame's guess if she where to measure it, her right arm was three sizes larger then her left.

"Alright, I'll get out of your hair so Dr. Jameson can work her magic."

Ayame nodded to the man, "I'll see you in a few."

Once the door was closed again, Martha glared at Ayame. "What the hell, Do you even try to stay away from their weapons?"

"I do not go out to intentionally get injured Martha, While I like you as a physician I don't particularly enjoy your sadistic practices being used on me more then necessary." Ayame leaned back against the wall behind the examination bed, as Martha propped her arm on a plastic stool, lined with the same crinkle paper that she was currently sitting on.

"This isn't going to be fun, do you want pain medication to prime you for the after effects?" The woman asked with sympathy.

Ayame glanced at the clock on the wall, which read 20:00, then she looked at her arm. "Estimated time of completion?"

"This is going to take a couple hours, we have to clean and inspect the interior of the wound, while it's bleeding slowly, I suspect it's a nicked artery, which means micro stitching and then muscle binding and then external stitches for good measure."

Ayame forced herself to keep the groan contained, "No, just get it over with, then double dose me before I walk out of here."

"Only if Kekko is driving." Martha said simply.

"It's her van." Ayame answered easily as if the deal had been struck before Martha even made the concession.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Akira stood looking at the interview room where Kekko was just walking out of with Constable Thompson directly behind her.

"So Callaghan, why don't you do the talking anymore?" She asked completely ignoring the prisoner cuffed to the bed in the hallway across from her. The man never shut up, and now that the justice department was there, she couldn't keep hitting him on the head.

"Chief wants Thompson to get used to the idea, I've been invited to join the Preventer program."

Akira held her nose, "Ewww, you don't want to join them. They're over zealous jerks with an ego the size of space."

Callaghan, a man equal to her own height and on the slender side for an officer of the law chuckled, "Don't worry Akira, I'm not going dark side- after all you girls need a few friends in the Preventer program. Even if it's to just ensure that your _investigations_ don't get drawn out longer then they need to."

"You're a traitor Callaghan."

Akira crossed her arms over her chest, annoyed at the feeling of her vests stiffness. She wanted to go off duty already, but until Ayame was finished with the work-up and interview process, and all paperwork signed they were stuck on joint watchdog duty. Which meant she had to keep her vest on. Akira felt a smirk over take her lips, and watched Callaghan's dirty blond eyebrow rise in question.

"I just realized that Ayame ruined her right arm for the next little while, she can't sign with her left hand for shit. Being the owner of A.K.A. Bounty she has a crap tone of paper work to sign, including mine and Kekko's reports, and files once completed."

"Your cruel Heinsmen, have I ever told you that?" the man chuckled mimicking Akira's stance.

"Of course she is, it's why we keep her around." Kekko said simply as she walked over to them, glancing once at Ramaro which Akira noted was straining against his restraints again.

"Your turn Callaghan, I can't smack him around anymore, or I'll be up on criminal charges for assault." The man scoffed at Akira as he pushed off the wall walking over to the man.

Akira turned fully to look at Kekko, "So?" She asked, not needing to fill in the blanks.

"Thompson says he thinks that Preventer will do a courtesy check-up interview, confirm their present information, and have all their tests done in three-six days, depending on unit work load. Ayame on the other hand won't be legally allowed on any hunts until Martha clears her for active duty again- assuming Preventer plays ball. Then she'll have to re-pass her weapons qualifications." Kekko took up Callaghan's place on the wall, and sighed, "She's going to be out of commission for at least 7 to ten days, and that's if she doesn't rip her stitches by over working that arm."

"That's your area of expertise not mine. Hell if it was me, I'd just laugh at her when she does it and give her the I told ya so speech."

"You would." Kekko grinned, "Of course, that's what you get from her when you don't listen so it's only fair."

"Damn right it's fair, the last five years haven't exactly been a cake walk with her as my boss, and it's only gotten worse since I've legally bought into the company as an equal partner."

Kekko rose her brow, before shrugging, "Not going there, I'm too tired."

Akira glanced at the over head clock, "No kidding your tired, it's already twenty-two-thirty. By the time Ayame gets done with due process and shit we won't be back home until close to one."

"More like two, there's a wreck on 72nd." Kekko informed her bringing a sigh to the woman's lips.

"I am sleeping in the van, just leave me there when we park. I have the seminar thing tomorrow."

Kekko nodded, "Yeah, but it's not until two, you'll be fine with a little broken sleep, besides, your always up until one thirty anyway so there isn't much difference in thirty minutes."

Akira sighed, "This coming from the woman who if she hasn't gotten exactly 8.5 hours of uninterrupted sleep she's a bear for the entire day." Akira was pleased when she saw the look of indignation cross Kekko's face, and even more pleased when she spotted Ayame walking through the hall towards them.

The woman looked like shit, but Akira expected that she had refused all pain killers until after she was done talking to Thompson. The woman was an idiot, pain tolerance through the bloody stratosphere, but an idiot none the less.

"Still alive over there?" Akira called bringing Kekko to turn and watch Ayame's progression down the hall, from the low growl-like grumble that escaped Kekko's throat, Akira was certain that she had, had similar thoughts to her own.

"Of course I am alive, I had worse wounds then an arm injury. Kekko, I need a coffee before I go talk to Thompson."

Akira was slightly shocked when Kekko turned with out protest over the woman's choice of drink while injured. Kekko was all about the healthy eating and drinking, more so eating on a normal day being a caffeine junkie herself, but when there was the slightest chance of a cold or infection it was all herbal teas- herbal teas that tasted like a horses ass.

Akira took a minute to look Ayame up an down. The woman was dressed in pure green scrubs which was odd, but not overtly so that it distracted Akira from her assessment. Her hair was still stuck in it's pony-tail from when they left the house to go hunt Ramaro in the first place, and hung damp yet frizzy behind her head, her baby hair stood up at odd angles, making Ayame look more like a bum then a hunter. She was pale, pasty even, and if Akira didn't know any better her skin looked clammy. Ayame's normally vibrant near crystalline blue eyes were dulled with the pain evident from her slung arm. They looked even more sunken given the dark smudges that appeared under those eyes. Akira trailed her eyes down to the blue sling keeping Ayame's arm from moving; the four fingers that Akira could see from her vantage looked swollen, and red. More sausages than fingers.

"What's the score?" Akira asked finally meeting Ayame's eyes again.

The woman sighed slightly, her free hand brushing back her loosed bangs from her fore head. "I'm not to hunt for the next fifteen days and then I have to come back for a check over again. No nerve damage but they can't tell definitively until the swelling goes down. The artery was nicked but only three micro stitches fixed that with no issues or collapsing of the vein. Muscle repair went smoothly, or as smooth as Martha could do given all the scar tissue on the top of my fore arm. Otherwise, I'm peachy."

Akira nodded, "Your lucky you know."

"From where I am standing, It doesn't feel like it."

Akira forced herself not to laugh, "Seriously, you shouldn't have jumped in the way you did, I know you're a great defensive martial artist, but still he could have royally fucked your arm up so that you'd be out for three years with the physiotherapy alone."

"I know, however, I could hardly let that jackass continue to back you into a corner- and the gun wasn't an option I was willing to risk."

Ayame rubbed Akira the wrong way with her almighty standpoint of honour and rightness. Ayame was so smooth, calm and assertive, never to be second guessed, and never ever to be questioned in ethics. Mean while Akira was loud and over bearing when she disagreed with anything, which was often with Ayame. A dominant personality forged by a need to survive after the slaughter of her family. Akira didn't like being _told_ what to do, and Ayame's natural standing of taking control in the heat of the moment brought out Akira's firey temper sometimes to the point of them coming to blows. Akira hated being underestimated, and Ayame did it all the time, even now after so many years of working together, in an unstable truce. They where nearly polar opposites in practically everything, save their love of motorcycles, and a particular dance game that Ayame had found in a junk yard and had fixed up.

If Akira's temper was a raging fire, engulfing everything in it's heat, Ayame's temper was a sudden cold so deep that it froze everything within reach. Which often made Akira more angery at the woman because she didn't react, Akira could scream and bellow all she wanted and Ayame would stand there as if nothing she said could strike home. As if the woman didn't care. And then, she did shit like jump into the way of a crazed manic junkie with a rusty knife. All because she didn't want to risk shooting Akira with her side arm.

Akira sighed, she hated the fact that Ayame had grown on her. It made it so difficult to take offence to things the woman said even when it did insult her precious independence. Over the course of the ten years since war left the world in shambles, they _automagically_ bonded. Mostly because Ayame was taking the injuries that would have been Akira's with no thought on how it could insult Akira, but with the one-hundred-percent thought of keeping Akira from harm.

"I am capable of fending for my self you know." Akira said simply turning to lean against the wall again catching Callaghan watching her with his hawk eye. It amused her that the man had allowed them to talk for as long as they had. Ayame was after all the subject Agent for the Excessive force investigation. And the _code of silence_ hadn't been lifted yet.

"I am aware, just as I am aware that you had no opening and were headed for a corner, literately not metaphorically." Akira watched Ayame's sausage like fingers flexing slowly in the sling. "You where focused on the knife like you should have been, however there is focused and then there is tunnel vision." Ayame rose her good hand to fend off any out burst, and was right to, as Akira felt her teeth grit with the familiar sudden bubbling rage she still held trouble controlling when Ayame started talking to her about anything they did while hunting. "Had I been in your position I would have found myself in a similar situation. It's always easier to analyze what happened after the fact, and often times we don't want to because of mistakes made that could have been avoided."

"something like your arm?" Akira hissed, the venum leaking out before she could stop it. "Sorry, I shouldn't get so mad at you when you took that knife for me should I?"

"You entitled to your emotions Akira, I have never told you other wise. Don't apologize for how you feel. When has your hissing and spitting ever hurt me?" Ayame half shrugged, "Which usually only makes you madder, but hell, better out then in. However you could always try thinking that I do the things I do because I _somehow_ actually give a shit about what happens to you."

It was the most that Akira would get from the woman by way of affection. How that affection had come to pass, Akira had no damn clue, but that was fine with her. It didn't need to be said, and they knew that they were each others sister in some twisted fucked up manner.

"So how are you going to sign paper work?" Akira asked with a smirk, earning herself a light punch from Ayame's left fist. "What?" Akira forced an innocent look to her face, "I am curious, you are after all right dominant, and lets face it, your not as quick to the draw with your left anymore."

"Well I have never been an artist." Ayame said flatly, which brought a snorted chuckle out of Akira.

"Touché"

Kekko walked over her duel coloured eyes flicking from Akira to Ayame and back again. "Someone care to explain those smirks?"

"We where just discussing artistic differences" Ayame stated flatly, earning a low chuckle from Akira. She watched the woman take her coffee from Kekko and shuffle towards the open interview room door.

"Idiot." Akira muttered leaning against the wall again.

"Agreed." Kekko sighed, "But what can we do but make sure she gets patched up at the end of the day?"

"Not a damn thing I've done has ever worked." Akira glanced at Kekko who nodded slowly.

"The Girl is a brick wall, and it will take something tougher then us two to break it down."

Akira agreed but left the comment alone, She liked Ayame, but she didn't like dwelling on what would eventually happen when the woman's ice walls where broken down. That thought actually _frightened_ her. After all even ice could burn.

~X~X~X~X~X~

Ayame polished off her coffee and groaned as Thompson scratched at his note pad. "Won't be much longer. Then you can go home and rest."

Ayame nodded and leaned back in her seat, adjusting her sling for the hundredth time. She knew there was no way in hell that she was leaving the stupid thing on for the full fifteen days. Not much annoyed her, but the sling was starting to get on her last raw nerve. Ayame didn't even need the stupid thing. She had a stab wound on her fore arm, a flesh wound more or less, but that didn't matter, Martha was as persistent as doctors came. Ayame knew that she wouldn't be out of commission for longer then a week at most. Then the stupid dissolvable stitches would be her major annoyance as they made her arm irritated and itchy.

However Ayame planned to cut back her healing and recovery time to five days before she started to work her muscles more vigorously. She was a quick healer, and it was unlikely that she would get an infection in the wound site given the extensive anti-biotic selection that Martha had prescribed both in pill and ointment forum. '_Shit._' she thought to herself, knowing that sooner rather then later the local hunters would hear about her injury, and in them hearing, Tager would hear, and then the Nakamura boys and then Morris. Morris would rip her a new one for allowing herself to be distracted enough to be injured.

On the thought of Morris, Ayame sighed, _'I hope my instinct was wrong this time.'_ She thought inwardly. The man meant more to her then most people, the man had taken in the resentful, full of herself teenager bent on revenge and moulded her into the hunter she was today, and the soldier she had been yesterday.

Ayame's younger self scared her, both Akira and Kekko thought she was reckless now; they hadn't seen her in action during the war- not really. Kekko had spoken to Akira about their first meeting when she thought Ayame hadn't heard her, but she had. She knew the kind of image she had portrayed way back then, she saw the pictures some of the survivors of her rebellious faction had taken. The girl in those photographs had been dead. worse then dead, emotionless.

Morris and a small handful of the soldiers had taken over the roles her father and brother left empty when they died. It had been a time where she had gotten her ass kicked more often then not by the men who watched her back then the enemy. If something happened to Morris, then Ayame was afraid of what would come creeping closer.

She was broken from her train of thought as Thompson flipped around the printed off transcript of her statement. Her eyes skimmed the blurring words, and nodded shortly. Taking the pen Thompson had set on the table, she had to concentrate at signing with her left hand. The first signature most likely wouldn't pass an inspection from a forensic hand writing analysis. That was something that Ayame planned to rectify before she was back in action. She also had to book sometime down at the enforcement range, to test her draw rate. Akira was right, she had been slacking with her left hand, she probably wouldn't be able to draw a weapon with it to the standard required for her permit to be reinstated if she had unexpected problems with her right arm before recovery. That was something else she could work on to pass the time.

Thompson silently replaced the pad with a chain of custody file for the prisoner, given that Ramaro was her contract, then she had to sign ten more documents, for evidence from the scene, evidence from the hospital, giving rights to third party access to her medical records for the stabbing, and to interview her physician and a half dozen other seemingly pointless forums. For some reason the law enforcement agencies of the Earthsphere didn't like technology, and enjoyed the primitive carbon paper format. Ayame didn't understand the logic behind the use of such an old form of document processing, when there was such thing as a photocopier. Heck they could run off of the Finger print only method the justice department and Most FR-agencies used, but no, Preventer had to be a primitive pain in the ass.

Thompson slid all her copies into a file folder and left it sitting in front of her. "Now, Go get some pain killers before you collapse." He said flatly. Ayame forced her face into a neutral state, and the man laughed. "Please Taylor, how many of these interviews have we had? How many times have I been working the desk when you've walked in with a shoulder slash and a prisoner in toe? The entire justice department knows you have a great dislike of medications that alter your state of mind. It's admirable that you'd rather keep everything in a sober mind, but it's also stupid. I've seen the knife that Ramaro used, it was hardly the sharpest tool in the box, that entire arm has to be on fire."

Ayame nodded slowly, "It is, but it's tolerable until I get home."

"Uh huh, you know you don't have anyone to impress right?"

The man sat back in his seat, watching her with the look of a man assessing a younger person, wondering if that was what his child would become later in life. "I am hardly your best friend or family, but I am going to be a parent and I would kick my kids ass if they where as stubborn as you are. Go get something to relieve the pain, you have two women in the hall way ready and willing to take care of your stubborn ass. There is no reason to suffer needlessly."

"I appreciate the concern Thompson, but stuff it up your mother-henning ass." She stood up, and glanced at him from under her eyelashes. "I live with the spokes person for healthy living. She'll stuff all the pills she can muster down my throat, force feed me herbal teas to promote healing and even pin me down to _properly change_ my bandages."

She watched the man's eyes light up with laugher, as he stood up. "I guess then I have no reason to worry. I know you only met her a few times, but my wife is hosting a baby shower next month, and she wanted me to ask you and those other two in the hall way, if you'd be interested in coming. That was _if_ I saw you between asking and then."

Ayame chuckled, "Twice met is practically fend for your self territory isn't it?"

"That's the wife's rules. Once is an introduction, Twice is friend ship, three times fend for yourself- you should know where it is." Thompson chuckled, "Of course, that tends to be the going rule in all law enforcement families isn't it?"

"That's how Callaghan's sister works from Akira's stories, and that's how it works with every Hunter I know." Ayame nodded, lifting the file with her left hand.

"So you'll come?" The man asked hopefully walking around the table.

Ayame motioned with her head towards the hallway. "What did those two say?"

"Kekko said she'd be happy to go, and Akira asked if there was going to be beer." Thompson pushed his hair from his face. "So I'd assume Akira is planning on showing up."

"That'd be an affirmative." Ayame glanced at the door and sighed, "This is already getting old."

Thompson laughed at her reaching for the door, "Well Taylor that's what you get for acting and not _re_acting."

"I reacted, I just didn't plan on him being sober enough to keep his reflexes. He must have only just did the uppers as Akira walked into the bar. The adrenalin pumped it quickly through his system, but not fast enough to hit full force- like now." Ayame said as she stepped out into the hall, her gaze glancing towards where Callaghan and Akira held the man down as the doctor plunged a needle into his arm. As Akira stood up right and spotted Ayame leaning against the door frame, the woman ripped off her vest with a whoop.

Kekko walked around the corner a white perscription bag in one hand and a styrofome cup in the other. Akira snatched the white bag out of Kekko's hand, which also had the Van keys hidden behind it, and glanced at Callaghan.

"Good luck with'em Traitor!" Akira called as she practically ran out of the hospital.

"traitor?" Ayame asked looking at Thompson who just laughed darkly at Akira's antics. He waved her question off as unimportant,

"Go home, rest."

As Thompson walked away, Kekko walked towards her, and held out a small water cooler cup- only the cup wasn't filled with water, but an orange liquid that smelt nothing like orange juice. She felt her lip turn at the small cup.

"Take it Taylor or I'll do it intravenously." Martha called from the nurses station. Ayame hated needles more than she hated the taste of the liquid _anti-inflammatory-electrolyte enhancer-sleep-inducing-pain-killer _hybrid cocktail. Kekko took her files as she took the cup and tilted it back as if it was a shot of whiskey. Dropping the cup to the floor she grimaced as the chalky liquid slid down her throat, and searched frantically for a water fountain. Finding one she made a beeline for the machine to wash down the taste of the medicine. When she stood upright with a mouth full of water, she felt the light headed sensation of standing up too quickly.

"Ready to go home?" Kekko asked her eyes searching Ayame's own. Nodding sharply, she turning to march out of the hospital.

"You _can_ keep those scrubs Taylor, But next time your sticking around to wait for a change of clothing." Martha called out by way of standard goodbye between them.

Ayame waved over her head with her left arm and marched out in to the damp air. The rain was still falling but much more calm then it had been when they first arrived at the hospital. The van was running in front of the hospital emergency entrance, only the front was vacant of human life. Ayame concluded that Akira was playing zombie in the back of the van, and decided it would be a quite ride home.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

_Authors Notes: I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of this series, I know there isn't any real 'Gundam' aspects to the series yet, but don't fret, there will be character interaction in the next chapter. I wanted to keep everything pretty similar to due process as possible so that everyone can follow along- as I will not be repeating due process more than once. I dislike it in real life, never mind in fiction._

_That being said, I know this is a double upload, but don't get too used to it! I am being nice because I know that you guys have been left out to dry for a long while._

_Please read and review, and I hope to see you in the second chapter of AKA Bounty Hunter._


	3. Chapter 2: A Preventer's Job Pt-1

_**DISCLAMIMER**__**: I do not own any of the material present from the anime/manga series Gundam Wing; I use this content under the fair usage policy of the international copyright laws, in this policy it allows for entertainment with no profit gain. I do own the Creativity Licence for the plot written within this story, as well as all original content added there in. All original content may not be duplicated or used with out (my) the authors WRITTEN Permission. **_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you for putting up with my disclaimer x.x**_

_**AKA Bounty Hunters**_

_**Chapter Two: A Preventer's Job Pt-1**_

The day had just begun and already the in coming files try was full. It was days like today that made Wufei Chang miss his field work.

Preventer back then had, in some aspects, been a hell of a lot easier then his current position. Of course being a captain of an investigation division within the capitol city of the earthsphere was in other ways much more preferable to field work.

For one he got shot at less, which was something Wufei didn't want to change, despite the eyestrain and the permanent fixtures that was his reading glasses.

After the first two weeks of working in his new position, just over five years prior, he had greatly enjoyed sitting in his plush office doing paper work. However, that quickly lost its appeal when he started having to call his people into his office because they couldn't fill out a standard requisition forum to his liking.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sat back in his seat looking at the far wall of his office.

To Wufei it was a waste of a day sitting behind closed doors while the sun was out shining brightly, especially after the storm that had lingered into two days worth of over cast.

He shifted slightly looking out at the view from his large bay window, overlooking exactly that- the bay. The water glimmered with the gulls flying over head lazily.

He wanted to go fishing, as absurd as it sounded to himself, that was exactly what he wanted to do. Not sit behind his desk doing paperwork all day.

Maybe he was getting old, after all the war had ended ten years earlier, and he was five years behind the desk.

A knock at his door brought him out of his train of thought, forcing him back to work mode. However as he called out for the person to enter, he pulled a sticky note pad across his desk and wrote the word 'vacation' on the top page, peeled it off and stuck it to his computer monitor.

He glanced up as his door closed, only to sigh as his secretary walked in holding another file in her hand.

"I don't want it, take it away." He said simply waving at the slight woman who probably still got the I.D. check whenever she ordered alcohol.

She chuckled mildly at him, "Well if you don't want an Excessive Force investigation then I can always give it to Chou."

Wufei held out his hand, trying to keep the ridiculous urge to break out into a grin from coming to fruition. When she handed over the file, Wufei opened the first page, and politely groaned all over again.

"This isn't a Preventer Investigation, you tricked me." He said flatly, watching the woman as she crossed her arms before her.

"I did no such thing and you know it. It's an excessive force investigation, you didn't ask me if it was inter relations or external- that is as you say, your own damn fault." With that the woman turned and left the office, not in the least actually insulted, as her tone had implied. Wufei knew the woman well enough after having her as his secretary for the last two and a half years.

He flipped the page on the initial incident report, which pretty much out-lined that a fugitive recovery agent had in the process of apprehending one Jose Ramaro broken his ankle. The Agent who had done the take down suffered injury as well, and claimed that the ankle was justified as the fugitive was threatening their lives.

Wufei opened the front jacket pocket where there were two sets of photographs; one of the fugitives broken ankle, and the other of the agents 'injury'. Wufei winced at the image of the puffy red pre-stitched stab wound.

"Damn right the broken ankle was justified." He muttered, dropping the file to his desk, leafing through the six images of the stab wound. He had his fair share of stab wounds in his lifetime, some during the war, some after- it hurt like hell, mostly after the fact.

Despite already knowing the outcome of the investigation, Wufei knew he had to at least follow through with the proper procedure. It was a pain in the ass, but given it wasn't within Preventer, it had to be done- or the society would have a conniption fit. The Recovery Agents Official Board insisted on all investigations being to the letter, regardless of the outcome. To ensure fairness to all parties, especially given the Fugitive recovery business was still under fire by most of the less adjusted people's of the Earthsphere, especially when one was out of the North American continent.

Wufei couldn't say he respected the profession where 'agents' hunted fellow human beings for profit. But he could at very least understand the need for the profession, it had cut the vigilantes in half, forcing all 'agents' to be registered to with the official board, having complete background checks and psyche evaluations yearly. Those who went into the profession most of the time wanted to do something, and were more often than not war veterans who didn't possess a threat level higher than any other ordinary civilian, but disliked the rigid structure of preventer or regional agencies.

Wufei turned the page in the file, and found himself looking at the company rap sheet, they had three investigations against them in the past six years, which wasn't all that bad in Wufei's opinion, most Preventers had that yearly, some even bi-yearly.

The company was one A.K.A. Bounty hunters.

Wufei rolled his eyes towards the heavens, "cute." he muttered, before looking down at the page again.

Company: AKA Bounty Hunters. EST. A.C 201 (North American Region of New Ontario Lake)

Founder: Ayame Taylor (27)

Co-Owners/Operators: Kekko Yurigami(27), Akira Heinsmen(28).

Abridged History:

A.C. 201- April 202, Company Moved From NOL-North America-L-2 Clusters. (Specified clusters unavailable due to insufficient records)

Incident Re: (Access Denied- Level 9) Company relocated

April 202- Relocation Registration with JAP-Okinawa District Office 775.

July 202- Investigation opened (775) Breach of Warrant. (See File: P-985-6325-JOD)

March 204- Investigation Opened (109) Unsanctioned Death of Fugitive. (See File: P-5576-4598-351h-JOD)

June 205- Relocation Registration with Capitol City, Sanc Region Office 301.

September 205- Investigation Opened (657) Excessive Force (See File: P- EF26-7028-6403-CCP)

Further Notes on Company:

(None at this time)

Wufei made a note to look up and include the summaries for the incidents mentioned in his final report, before turning the page on the file. These pages where the standard First Responders Transcripts of the interviews, which Wufei by-passed turning to the next page.

The page held the image of the company founder from the registration file. Her flat crystalline blue gaze brought Wufei to blink and remove his glasses for a moment. He had seen that particular gaze from others, some close to home, most ex-veterans gone criminal.

A knock on his door forced him to close the file without a second look.

"Yes?" He called out and found his second in command of the investigation division stepping into his office.

"The Russo case has hit a dead end again; I'm sending Myers and Campbell to follow up on the old leads." The man said as he stood in the doorway. Wufei raised his brow at the black haired man, who half shrugged. "I'm heading down to the M.E.'s to follow up on a hunch. I won't be around if you decide to bellow for me or those two."

"Alright, Tell Myers she still owes me her report on the Stevenson file. I expect it by the end of the day." With that said, the man nodded sharply, his deep brown eyes flicking behind Wufei's shoulder enviously before he left, closing the door behind him.

Just as Wufei moved to open the case file before him again, his intercom paged, "Sir, You have a call on line 1 a Mr. Reginald Franklin regarding-"

Wufei sighed, moving the Excessive Force file off to one side and pulling an old file out of his drawer as he said to his secretary, "I'll take it." The Murder investigation trumped the Excessive Force every day that ended in Y. Normally his division wasn't given Excessive Force files, however, when they were made for a precarious balancing act some days. Today appeared to be one of those days. Pulling the two inch thick file out of the drawer Wufei set the file on his desk as the phone started ringing. He answered the phone swiftly, turning in his chair slightly tormenting himself with the view of the sun.

"Captain Chang."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

"Ayame…?" Kekko's voice trailed off as she poked her head into Ayame's bedroom. The woman wasn't in her bed like she had promised over an hour ago, when Kekko had finally kicked her out of their home office/ war room.

The woman's bedroom was the exact same square footage as Kekko's and Akira's for that matter, yet the woman seemed to have more space. Of course it helped that the woman had an entire rainforest in her room. The room originally a square was divided in half by both a long wall (for the bathroom) and a series of chains hanging from the ceiling holding a forest of brightly coloured flowering plants. Her bed was angled against the corner of where the bathroom wall met the hallway wall. The foot of which was three feet from where Kekko was standing in the open doorway. To Kekko's left was a Six foot wall of bamboo.

"I'm over here." The woman said from behind the wall of plants both potted on the floor and hanging suspended from the series of chains. The woman sounded sleepy to Kekko's well trained ear, but Kekko knew better than to question Ayame when she was sleep deprived and in pain.

"Reading?" Kekko asked walking towards the wall of foliage. Behind the wall the room was illuminated with the bright sunlight streaming through large windows Ayame had custom fit into the building. The woman was perched in a ridiculously comfortable chair with her right leg tucked under her left pulled to her chest.

Beside the chair was a simple side table that the woman had found when they first finished their warehouse conversion's construction, the under side of the table was a magazine rack. A small banzai tree was settled on the table closer to the wall, sitting on a dollar store bamboo mat. On opposing side of the chair was a large book case, crammed mostly with manuals, article journals and a few scattered fiction novels.

The floor was covered with a large expensive copper coloured faux animal skin rug thrown across the cherry stained oak floors, it was a small reading sanctuary that was rarely used unless Ayame wasn't feeling well or was brooding over something. Normally the woman perched in the lower living level's reading nook.

Kekko glanced to her left, peering behind the living Bamboo wall, to where Ayame's meditation area laid; her mat was rumpled telling Kekko the woman had tried that before resigning herself to the sunny-side of the room. She forced herself to keep from shaking her head at the stubborn woman.

"Trying to, but the medication makes it hard to focus." Ayame stated as she lowered her choice of reading material, a weapons enthusiast magazine.

'_At least she's reading lightly_.' Kekko thought to herself. "Well I hate to break it to ya, but it's time for the antibiotic again."

Ayame narrowed her eyes at her, and Kekko shook her head for the second time. "Nope, I am immune to the little bird special. Better luck next time." Kekko held out a glass of water, and the foil packet of pills. She watched as Ayame took the required two pills, and downed the entire glass of water, slamming it down on the side table beside her.

Despite how the woman had looked the night before under the hospital lights, Ayame had regained her colour and if it wasn't for the glazed look in her eyes and the sling, Kekko would have sworn the woman was in peek condition.

"You know Akira has that seminar at two, and I'll be leaving for Tager's office at 2:30 to go over the contract for the Ramaro investigation, before Preventer has a chance to blindside him. Before I leave I'll make sure you're up to date on all your pills, then you can sleep or whatever without worrying about me hovering every two hours to give you the antibiotic." She informed the woman who flipped the page in her magazine.

"Yippee." Was the flat response, followed almost immediately by, "Kekko your mothering me and it's already nerve grating."

"Get over yourself Ayame, you and I both know you won't take the antibiotic unless I remind you, especially with the pain meds turning you into a zombie."

Kekko watched Ayame half shrug, and flip her page with slightly more force. "I get bitchy when I am on pain killers, sue me- Ramaro is going to try." Ayame flipped the page again only to curse when the page tore slightly.

"It's a good thing I was inoculated for Bitchy Taylor Syndrome too. Now, I'm making lunch, your going to eat, and you're going to bed. It will help your arm heal faster, and just think if you're really good and listen to me; maybe you won't need to take the pain meds as often tomorrow."

Ayame rose her gaze from the magazine, "I have slept most of the day away, right here in this chair, I didn't sleep very well last night, even with the sleeping aid cocktail that Martha threatened to I/v me with."

"I know, but it's better to sleep when you can, you can flip your sleeping schedule faster then a cheetah can run. Don't worry there will be plenty for you to do when the swelling goes down." With that Kekko took the empty glass from the side table where Ayame had practically shattered it, and turned to leave the room.

"Kekko… no soup, I don't have the patience for anything I need to balance and eat." Kekko smirked at the tone in Ayame's voice, as she motioned with the glass that she heard and left.

~X~X~X~X~X~

The Murder investigation had taken Wufei most of the morning to get to a point where it could be set aside for a while waiting on 'due process' and 'warrants' to gain access to the main suspects home, office, and all other pertinent belongings. Finally, he could switch back to the Excessive Force File, and at least make the calls to get the summaries of the companies incident records. He pulled the file towards him, and noted down the incident numbers, and returned to the page where he left off. He just slid his glasses over his eyes when a knock sounded at his door.

"Yes?" He called out, a little more forceful than he had the last few times he had been interrupted. Janice, his secretary poked her head in the door.

"Sir, I am taking my lunch, all your voice calls are being forwarded to your voicemail, and I suggest you take your lunch soon."

"Thank you, I will." When he looked back at the file, the woman long accustomed to Wufei's mannerisms closed the door without any further comment. If one more person interrupted him, and there wasn't an explosion or a murder that needed his immediate attention they were going to pay. If there was one thing he detested more than incompetence it was interruptions.

Giving a grace period of sixty seconds to see if anyone else knocked on his door, Wufei finally turned once again to look at the image of A.K.A. Bounty Hunters founder.

The page was her personal record summary,

_D.O.B: 180/03/22 _

_O.O.B: North America-New Ontario Region-Smithville_

_Weight/Height: 145lbs 5 Feet 7 Inches_

_Blood Type: 0-_

_Eye/Hair: Blue/Black (long)_

_Notable marks: Excessive Scarring (Note: See- F.R.A Board medical)_

He blinked at the word Excessive coupled with Scarring, it was frightening to think about what kind of injuries the woman would have had to incur for them to label it as excessive. Even he didn't have that in his notable marks in the Preventer files. Yuy did, but Heero Yuy always did things in Excess.

Taking a slow breath, he continued to read the summary, Noting she didn't have any living family and her next of kin was her co-owner/operators of the business. Her educational History was all of three notes, A GED, A Business degree, and a Weapons Safety Instruction Course.

The woman had no criminal record to speak of, not even a speeding ticket, Her personal history was pretty typical of the war time. Mother died when she was nine, When she was fourteen her home caught fire killing her only sibling Her father registered with the Alliance military Died Cause and Date of death Records Sealed Access 9.

Mid 195 she flead earth for the colonies and went MIA until she resurfaced in 199 entering Earth in Westmancherter- England Region.

Then was typical of an everyday person, Got a drivers lisence Moved to north america, began her apprentiship for Fugitive recovery services.

He ran into yet another Sealed section of the file, which was interesting, yet not uncommon given 201-202 held a number of issues that where locked behind security seals.

She moved to the JAP point, Okinawa district, became licensed for a motorcycle. Became a weapons instructor registered with the arms and safety board, then two years ago she moved to Capitol, registered with the _Women's Self Defence Education Seminars & Schools. _As an instructor.

Her file wasn't crammed full with utter nonsense, which was good, showed she kept clean, save for the few flags on the company time, and two sealed records she was _the_ poster child for fugitive recovery agencies. Yet he had never heard anything about AKA Bounty Hunter before, most of the _high quality _Fugitive recovery Agencies where flooding the streets with flyers or some kind of advertisement. Much like the local P.D's outside of capitol, and even Preventer.

Opening an internet connection, Wufei did a basic search for Bounty Hunters. Came up with 50,000 hits, none of which on the first page was AKA Bounty hunter. Did a second search for Fugitive recovery Capitol, and got 30 hits- which rose his brows. The number of agencies where growing in the city, rapidly.

17th on the list was AKA Bounty Hunter. He clicked on it and it was a third party yellow pages website listing the business title, address and office phone number. All of which he had.

Wufei lifted the phone on his desk and called the 17th floor, media relations. "Samson, I was wondering if you could get me any _advertising_ information on a company." Wufei waited for the man's '_yeah give me the name and an hour.'_ He did and hung up the phone. He could have taken the hour to look up how the company was even in business but preferred to get all his ducks in a row before he escaped for the afternoon to have lunch and do 'out of office interviews'.

He flipped to the back of the jacket, and noted there was evidence tags for Personal Effects, and one small scale switch blade- the accused assault weapon. Forcing him to lift his phone and call down to evidence lockup to confirm the objects in lock up, and then call to the forensics building to track down the blade which was signed out.

It took him another half an hour to find out that it was in queue to be printed and DNA tested. Which would take another 50 minutes to two hours pending higher priority evidence that crossed through forensics.

Wufei had another half an hour to kill before he called the media relations division back. He flipped through the remainder of the file finding that the woman's medical records for the incident where missing. He was about to life his phone to call about them when his fax machine started ringing.

Putting the file flat on his desk he slid across his office and lifted the first finished page. His luck was getting really good, the woman's hard copy medical file was printing as he read it, with a memo attached stating that the Data Copies are ready for pick up. Setting the page back on his tray, Wufei moved back to his desk and lifted his phone.

"_Chou._" His second answered on the second ring.

"ETA with the M.E.?" Wufei asked, earning a,

"_Hi boss, just finished." _

"Report to St. Mary's Emergency and Speak to a Doctor Jameson regarding Digital Medical Data file, 779 Taylor, Sign for it and take it directly to forensics."

"_Yes sir."_ the man chirped happily, no doubt enjoying the excuse to kill some more time out of the office. Wufei knew the itch, but also knew it was more important to get the job done right the first time.

He hung up the phone and moved to pick up the medical summery off his now quiet fax machine. Skimming the file, he found the confirmation of injury he knew would be there. Shocked that the injury photographed for the file on his desk was the same injury described in the summary he was holding. Near to 0 permanent Damage and a maximum healing time of fifteen days, minus three, projected.

The woman was one lucky bitch. The injury had looked like a career killer to Wufei- of course he wasn't a doctor.

A phone started ringing and it took him a moment to realize that it was his cell phone that was ringing, bringing his eyes to narrow. "Chang." He answered briskly.

"_Hello to you to." _The sound of Duo Maxwell's voice in his ear brought a smirk to his features. "_Did something blow up that I am not aware of?"_

"Apologies Maxwell, I have had a number on unnecessary interruptions today, half of them via the phone." Wufei said as he pinned the phone between ear and shoulder as he stapled the summary report together and slid it into one of the jacket pockets.

"Is it unnecessary to eat during the daylight hours?" Duo asked, as the sound of cars filled the background noise.

Wufei Smirked, "It would not, I was about to take my lunch before leaving the office for some interviews, in about 20 minutes."

"Doing interviews yourself, you're itching to get out in the nice weather aren't you?"

Wufei grunted at this, and sat back in his seat looking over his shoulder at the beautifully shining day beyond his window. The grunt brought a laugh to echo through his receiver. _"I remember a time when you didn't know the meaning of the word play._"

"I knew the meaning I just didn't have the time to actually experience it for myself." Wufei turned towards his computer as an email pertaining to another case pinged, he opened the attachment and sighed, printing the information that he had guessed but didn't get him any farther into closing the murder file and making an arrest.

"So about that sustenance break, I was thinking you could take a full hours lunch and meet me at the little café/diner that opened on the bay front last week. What say you?" Wufei didn't get a chance to answer when Duo suddenly curse and a car horn wailed in his ear. "Stupid ass, doesn't know the meaning of the word red-light." Duo grumbled, and his phone started clicking, no doubt duo sending a text message to the traffic division to complain about lacking in red light camera's again.

"Sorry about that 'fie." Duo apologized, following with, "They really need to work on the industrial district, Seriously I almost get hit by some jack ass at least twice a day."

"Pay more attention to traffic then, and yes I'd love to meet you there, assuming you don't end up as roadkill before then. Call Yuy and see if he can escape the castle long enough to get together down there too." Wufei suggested opening his active file drawer in his desk pulling out the murder file he had been working on earlier in the day. Reaching for his desk top printer he pulled the pages off and stapled them together and slid them into the back of the file.

"Sounds like a plan, and if he can't escape I'll bust him out. We haven't had our '_monthly meal'_ in about two months now anyway, so he totally owes us." Duo's voice perked up. While Duo and Wufei had found their own strong friendship in that dark dingy cell on Lunar 1 back during the 195 war, Heero and Duo had always seemed the best of friends.

"Good, now let me work so I can meet you down there. Lets say for 1330."

"Deal. Don't be late like last time." Duo said and hung up without allowing Wufei to respond. Shaking his head Wufei put his phone on his desk only to have his office phone ringing at him.

Sighing he lifted the receiver. "Chang."

"Okay so that company hasn't taken out ad space in get this, five years. The last Ad they took out was in the NOL region of Ontario province North America." Samson said simply, and the sound of a keyboard tapping was all the background noise on the line.

"so how the hell do they stay in business?" Wufei wondered leaning back in his desk chair.

"One word, Subcontracting." Samson said simply. "They have most of their contracts through pre-established connections like Morris Bail and bonds, and 2nd chance Bail bonds. They also do a lot of partnering up with smaller companies, the babies of the business you could say, doing a mentorship and percentage of the take. They also have the business listed with the Weapons training facility here in Capitol and they make a steady income teaching self defence classes and Weapons safety with get this, .50's. My contacts in the media have been trying to figure out this company for the past five years. They keep making arrests and getting their name shown in the hunters monthly trash mag, but they haven't one article written exclusively about them, nor have they been able to get an interview with any of them. My contact said that there is rumours that the major companies and register's they work with are connected with some underground movement. However, I wouldn't believe that as far I would believe in bigfoot."

Wufei pulled a note pad across his desk, and jotted down some short hand notes to keep up with the ex-journalist turned Preventer.

"Here's something else, my contact said that they had an article that they were going to publish, some big deal about five years ago when the company was just a baby, but they were blacklisted from every saying a word about the article or the incident."

Wufei grunted, "the records for 201-202 are sealed level 9 access, I haven't gotten around to opening it yet, as it's only an excessive force investigation. However, I just may to get a handle on who we're dealing with, and if this is going to be the first of many incidences we will be dealing with."

"Well I wouldn't put too much hope in that, they've been here in capitol for two years and haven't yet had a complaint. In fact an anonymous ex-con spoke to my contact about the company, and they said that the girls of AKA bounty where the best in the business and under appreciated simply because they do their job like real professionals. They go after all fish, and they treat the fish like human beings. Most of their hunts don't require a lot of running, or any fuss. They just walk over say their name and then walk them leisurely to their car, climb in with them and arrest them out of sight from the general public." Samson said flatly. "Rather anti climatic for _bounty hunters_ if you ask me, but hey the job isn't about the glory the 21st century television shows put on it am I right?"

"Exactly right." Wufei sighed, "Alright, thanks Samson." Wufei hung up after the man said his _anytime _and looked at the file on his desk.

'_The issue here is, was the force necessary to detain Jose Ramaro, not the mystery of a company with only three other incident reports and a sealed record.' _Wufei thought to himself half turning in his seat looking at the view of the city. _'would I have broken Ramaro's ankle if he stabbed me?'_

Wufei closed his eyes and tried to imagine the scene without reading the statements collected by the first responders. He could picture several different scenarios where the stabbing could have taken place, yet none of them would have ended with a broken ankle, a dislocated shoulder or wrist yes.

Slowly Wufei opened his eyes, "He would have had to get her on the ground level or…" He turned back to his desk and opened the interviews, his eyes scanned Yurigami, Kekko's statement and noted that she wasn't on scene when the take down occurred. Flipping the page he started reading Akira's statement.

"_Would I have broken his ankle? Not likely, I would have beaten him within an inch of his life, but that is why Taylor is the instant responder, and I am the runner- often back up…" -_Heinsman

"_Could you explain to me then why your partner Yurigami stated and I quote 'Akira was in the position of offensive, while Ayame was in the position of back up.'?_" -Thompson

"Why was she back up? Circumstances, I am a faster runner than she is, it's the long legs- So when Ramaro booked it out the back we where forced into a chase. Kekko co-ordinated with the micro GPS's to get the man trapped between myself and Ayame." - Hiensmen

"_And when was it noted that the man was intoxicated with a contraband drug." _Thompson

"_Almost the moment the man stopped running for more than two seconds, Ayame was the one who noticed it, getting a better view at his eyes and posture then I did. When she noted that he was 'cranked' I made to move in a coordinated fashion that we have perfected over the last five years." -Hiensmen_

"_But that didn't work." -Thompson_

"_I'd say not, the man spotted me moving and went on the offensive. He's record made no mention of weapons, so we weren't prepared for it at first, and he seemed proficient enough at it. Ayame couldn't do anything and was limited to her gun due to the rain, Ramaro kept me in the line of fire- Which I highly doubt was intentional- So Ayame kept all weapons holstered and made her move in her skill of hand to hand combat. It scared the hell out of me, as she didn't make any warning of her movement and I thought Ramaro had me cornered. One second I am thinking I am going to feel the dull edge of that knife and the next she has him in a double fisted block. She was intent of keeping that knife immobilized." -_Hiensmen

"_So what changed the situation to require the breaking of his ankle?" -_Thompson

"_Well I can't speak for Ramaro, but it was like the man became possessed or something. He stretched his arms around Ayame and tried to bear hug her to reach for the knife. He just managed to switch the blade hand, and Ayame shockingly managed to get under the arm she had control of missing being stuck with the blade. It was on the second attempt that he got her arm." -_Hiensmen

"_I don't see how that has any respect for the use of force act." _-Thompson

"_well if you'd let me finish, geeze. So I jumped on him the moment I heard her grunt. The woman doesn't make noise like that usually, so I knew the knife hit, I didn't know where, but I acted in the best way I could. I got one of my cuffs on the knife hand, and Ayame was forced to redouble her efforts to keep control of the arm she had. He leaned all his weight against her and landed a kick to my solar plexus sending me to ground. I was dazed for a moment, trying to get air into my lungs, I watched Ayame hit the ground next and his foot rise off the ground." _

Wufei stopped reading.

His eyes narrowed at the account, trying to picture the take down in his mind, all he was seeing was a brawl between personal who weren't trained or qualified for the field. He forced himself to continue reading the account.

"… _Well, I was trying to get off the ground, to at least stop her face from becoming part of the pavement when the woman moved slapping his leg away, seemed to rock right then left pulling the man to the ground, continuing her motion and suddenly was sitting perched on the man's leg as he struggled. She leaned back to stop him and that's when his ankle broke." _-Hiensmen

Wufei sat back again, Either the Hiensmen woman was a friend of the interviewer, or she didn't have any regard for reporting in her make-up. He flipped the page and found Taylor's own reporting of the account.

His brows rose at the terminology used. If Hiensmen didn't have a professional bone in her body, Taylor was too professional.

"_The subject exited the cross roads bar, through the back exit having been spooked by Agent Hiensmen's entrance. I was forced to dodge the door as he kicked it out ward. He proceeded to head west through a series of back alley's, my Partner having caught up to me, passed and continued to follow the subject through the alleyways. By the tactical call of our third agent Yurigami, I separated from the direct chase, relying on her direction through the maze of alleyways. We formed our Hammer and anvil manoeuvre. Upon Their arrival, I noted that the subject appeared to be on some sort of drug, 'cranked' was the term used on scene. My Partner attempted to initiate our coordinated takedown of intoxicated subjects, but it failed when the subject caught her progression towards him- most likely out of the corner of his eye. He pulled a weapon and went on the offensive against Agent Hiensmen. Limited to my side arm, I decided that it was not pertinent to use, given Agent Hiensmen remained within the ricocheted range. I waited and moved slowly to keep pace with the assault once I had my opening I cross blocked the subjects weapon and crowded his space, however I faild to take into account that his reach was superior, and he managed to catch me up in a bear hug, in the process of which he managed to transfer weapon hands. Keeping hold of his right wrist I ducked under his arm, avoiding being stabbed in the abdomen with the knife." -Taylor interrupted by First responder Thompson. _

"_Weren't you wearing your mandatory Kevlar?" _

"_Yes I was, however, given the angle of the knife in correlation to my position it would have most likely avoided the body armour completely and slid between the straps on the side. It was not a risk I was willing to take, however in avoiding that hit, I ended up taking a hit to my right forearm. My Partner lundged on the Subjects left side trying to get a hand-hold on his left arm, to get him under control, however she just provided a second target for his temper, and brought the knife to be pulled out of my arm in the struggle. I am uncertain over how long that portion of the struggle took, however, the Subject landed a blow with his right foot to My partner's chest region. _

"_I was forced to take the subjects body weight or fall, he either has an unregistered background with self defence or got lucky, as he stepped behind me and applied the counterbalance, knocking me to the ground. He side stepped my fall, and then rose his right foot off the ground with the intent of performing a street move commonly called a 'head stomp.' I reacted with counter measures which ended with the subject face down on the pavement with a broken ankle due to his struggling. I did not have the means to hold him until my partner gathered her breath back and couldn't initiate contact with our back up to assist restraining him." -Taylor_

Wufei wondered if the woman had practiced her statement while she was being seen by the doctor. And flipped to the first responders' reports, constable Callaghan stated that the three women did have a moment in which to converse but he was three feet away standing beside the subjects gurney and there was no mention of the case. Thompson was still in the interview room.

He checked the Prisoner transfer forums and medical release statements, raising his brow at the sloppy signature that he could barely make out. He found an A and T which told him that it was Ayame Taylor's signature, most likely done with her uninjured arm, which given the messy state was her less dominant hand.

He put the file down on his desk, and sat back in his seat crossing his arms over his chest. He would have to go talk to each of them, however bringing Taylor into the office seemed a waste of effort given her recovery time was only three days in. flipping to the front of the file, Wufei picked up his cell phone inputted the contact number for AKA Bounty's main office, grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and made to leave the office. Securing the door, he pressed the talk button and stopped at his secretary's desk jotting a note on her sticky pad saying '_out of office on interviews forward all pertinent investigations to Chou, or V.M.'_ As the cell phone rang, he walked through the offices towards the stairs.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Traffic was horrendous trying to get from the city center to the bay front. He had to avoid three collisions, and silently agreed with Duo about the infrastructure of the city. Even still he managed to get to the café in under twenty minutes and arrive before either of his lunch guests. He picked a table in the back of the café, and settled himself into a seat to wait.

A waitress brought over a menu and Wufei asked for two more, and a coffee while he waited. The young woman was all too happy to return to the table, and he sighed. He didn't know how some men handled being undressed by the eyes of almost every woman they came in contact with. It was more then moderately annoying to him, when he held no interest in finding a partner or even a fling.

As she walked away the woman stopped suddenly her head turned towards the door of the café, Wufei silently cheered as Duo Maxwell strutted in engrossed in an animated conversation with one Heero Yuy.

While Wufei had grown a few inches taller since the war, maxing out at five feet eleven inches, Duo had grown to stand at a staggering six feet two inches, matching Trowa's total height. Heero had also grown taller then him, standing at six feet even.

Both men looked good, and not much different from the war, save Duo's features sharpened slightly, ridding him of the baby face, and Heero's facial expressions where more relaxed and open then they had been when they all first made contact with each other.

Duo wore his favoured black jeans, and a simple graphic T-shirt that was 'in style', While Heero wore a pair of slacks and a slightly higher priced polo shirt. That was always the shock to Wufei, that Heero Yuy had given up his tank tops and jeans when he married the 'princess of earth' as the tabloids had labelled her.

They spotted him instantly and made their way towards the back, Duo stopping long enough to ask the ogling waitress to bring two more coffees to the table.

As Duo sauntered over, and flopped in his seat, he sighed, "man what is it with girls in this city? They're all 'Blush I'm so innocent as I undress you with my eyes.' HA! And I am the virgin mary nine months along."

Wufei long ago used to such outbursts, turned to look at heero and inclined his head. "Yuy, you look well."

"As do you Chang, I hear that you and Duo here planned to how was it, 'bust me out of the castle' if I couldn't escape."

Wufei half shrugged, "Duo made a point of reminding me that you haven't been in attendance for our '_monthly meals.'_ so it seemed like a good idea."

The man nodded as the coffee's were served and the waitress blinked as if seeing Heero for the first time, she sputtered a moment then asked, "Are you _the_ H-"

Duo put his finger in front of her lips, "Yes he is, now please go away."

The woman looked affronted before turning and stalking away.

"That is why I don't '_escape the castle' _all too often anymore. Do you know how hard it is to get Celeste out of that house. It's a security nightmare just to take her to the park." Heero lifted his coffee, drinking it a black as night. Duo cringed and added enough sugar to his to send him in to a diabetic attack.

"I am well aware, you had to hire Preventer to keep the parameter for her birthday party last year." Wufei lifted his menu sighing at the café's choices. At least it was quiet.

"_That_ is never happening again. _Ever_. Family only, and maybe two friends from pre-school, no parents, no big crowds, and certintly No barn animals." Heero said flatly meaning every word.

Duo snorted, "Yeah right, and you could stop the sun from setting if Celest becomes afraid of the dark. Come on 'ro you know just as well, If not better then we all do that Relena will have her way when it comes to the baby princess."

Wufei shrugged, "I don't know, Heero gets more then you'd think Duo. He just has to give her his soldier look and Relena stops cold. And _that_ birthday party was a nightmare, the coordination alone was horrendous. I didn't get to spend more then sixty seconds wishing her happy birthday before I was called away for some alert or another."

"I am taking Quatre up on his offer of the island for all her birthday parties." Heero said simply, as if that ended the conversation. Which it usually did, the blond ex-pilot had the answers to most of their problems. Some of the problems even Wufei hadn't come up against before, and he too came from a large scale family.

"Tis' a good plan." Duo said as he half turned peering around for a waitress, just not the one hovering at the cash register. Spotting one he lifted his hand and waved at her. She nodded her head bent to the costumers she was talking to and scurried over.

"Ready to order?" She asked politely, holding her pad and pen at the ready.

Duo went first as he usually did, knowing long before he walked in the door what he wanted. Usually something that would educe a heart attack in any mortal being. Heero ordered second as Wufei made up his mind on the BLT and salad.

The woman checked their order before turning and swiftly walking away. She stopped at the cash register said something to the woman standing there who suddenly looked affronted, before she disappeared into the back of the shop.

"So, working on anything interesting in that plush office of yours?" Duo asked Wufei lazing back in his seat, making sure his braid hung over the side.

"two separate homicides and an FRA-Relations Excessive force." He said simply, his eyes taking in the standard vinyl tables and simple old style of the café.

"What's so interesting about an Excessive force case for a Fugitive recovery agent?" Heero asked, setting his coffee on the table.

"That their company has a one year block on their history with level nine blocks."

Duo scrunched his brows, "isn't that director access only?"

Wufei nodded as Heero sat back slightly. His bright blue eyes narrowed slightly, "What's the year blocked?"

"201-202"

While he shouldn't be discussing anything to do with work with people out side his unit, Wufei knew, as did the rest of the world and space, that the gundam pilots where the exception that proved the security rule. Wufei trusted the two men seated with him, with his life, and the lives of his unit. He didn't trust anyone else as explicitly.

"L-2." Duo said looking at Heero, "Ya think?"

The man nodded slowly sending both of their gazes back I his direction.

"I was on mars, that year, I was never briefed on the L2-issue, I heard rumors about a gang war, but it wasn't my department so I never asked." Wufei shrugged.

"It wasn't a Gang war." Duo said flatly, his tone seeping acid, "It was an organized attempt at a take over, using fear as a motivator for law enforcement to pull out. We where pulled to stand-by duty with Preventer for the whole she-bang."

"What colony was it on?" Wufei asked, feeling a cold grow through his stomach.

"All of them." Heero said lifting his coffee as their signal when talking about sensitive information that someone was approaching. Wufei looked up to find the waitress returning with a tray of lunch.

Once all the food was laid out on the table, and the waitress out of ear shot, Wufei asked, "what does an agent have to do with a high security situation like that?"

"The original targets were the FRA's, staring low and working their way up. The total body count by the end of it was 27 bodies, and Preventer gave the media the story that it had been gang involvement and they weren't to print anything to the contrary under national security act. Only five of those bodies where involved with the murders." Heero said slowly, then took a slow breath, "Accroding to reports at the time, it ended with a stand off comprised of three Fugitive Recovery Agencies, and a small unit of Preventers. The task force was two colonies away, and by the time they got there, they where only about to contain the situation and keep the media off colony."

Wufei was silent for a long time, his mind reeling with the information, which made sense to the reason for the file to be sealed at such a high level.

"I'm surprised that you haven't gotten to look at that incident. More so at the fact that no one brought you in on it." Duo sighed crunching on a French-fry.

"There where more pressing matters then getting up to date on an issue that had for all intense purposes been settled. But that is one mystery peeked into with that case." Wufei shrugged, taking a bite out of his BLT, he had to admit the café rose his rather low opinion of whole in the walls.

"You mean there is more then one?"

"Well, there are several that is why it's called an investigation Duo." Heero supplied dryly as Wufei chewed, taking the words practically out of his own mind.

"Yeah what ever, most _investigations_-" Duo paused to use finger quotations, "Aren't all that mysterious, and the simplest answer is the right one. So it's an excessive force investigation, the question is did the dirt bag deserve the use of force, and was the use of force implemented above and beyond what was called for? That's the only question that needs to be answered, nothing more and nothing less."

"You forget that every investigator has their own vision of what is 'perspective' what we" Heero motioned around the table, "See as perfectly okay in the normal course, isn't how society sees it, and certintly not how an regular individual see's it."

Wufei swallowed in time to add. "That's not the point, the point is decerning if the course of action could have been avoided all together negating the use of force in the first place. As this is an investigation into a legalized law enforcement agency-" Wufei glanced at Heero as he made a sound in the back of his throat, ignoring it he continued, "We have to treat it as if it was a Preventer, given geography, making the arrest. At the present moment I am personally torn. However I have yet to interview the subject and the complainant."

"What do you mean torn?" Duo asked, before reaching for his coffee and downing it in one fell swoop. Wufei waited for him to signal the waitress for a refill before answering.

"Well The subject and her partner where according to the file, where in pursuit of the complainant, they divided to corner him in a standard hammer and anvil. Once cornered they learned he was 'cranked' upon their attempt to apprehend the complainant he pulled a knife. He turned on the subjects partner placing both the partner and complainant in the line of fire. A struggle ensued in which the subject was stabbed in the forearm with a dull two inch blade. The partner was knocked down while attempting to secure the knife hand. As the subject was still struggling with the complainant he caught the upper hand and she wound up on the ground. He tried to 'Boot stomp' the subject which lead to her use of evasive action ending with him having a broken ankle."

Wufei watched both men open their mouths to speak but closed them when the waitress walked over. She refilled Duo's glass and topped up both Heero's and Wufei's with out being asked.

"Are you guys doing alright?" She questioned, and when all three of them stated that they where, she left without prompting.

"So wait a minute, your telling me douche bag stabs hunter A while hunter B is laid out, and she gets knocked down, beats his ass, and is being investigated for excessive? Where's the justice in that, shit I would have killed him for less." Duo said flatly, "Hell I have killed for less."

"Not in peace time Duo, and that's the problem, Wufei's issue pending interviews with all parties involved, is simply could the situation been avoided if the subject and partner used a different tactic." Heero turned to Wufei, "was there not a less leather measure they could have used to defuse the situation with out getting up close to the assault weapon?"

"This happened three days ago, in the middle of that storm." Wufei stated, needing no further explanation.

"She had her lethal option, but her partner was in the line of fire, automatically making that a bad choice. Okay, so what I still don't see the problem. In point of fact, to avoid the entire issue to begin with, maybe the fool should have gone to court instead of running with a weapon, which is against his bail contract in the first place, then he wouldn't have to be crying over a lousy broken ankle." Duo's opinion on the matter being firm was accented with the bite of his grease covered burger.

"While I agree, the law doesn't. The fact that he skipped bail is one issue that he will be punished for by the justice department and that punishment must come from them. Vigilantes are illegal and because I am investigating the situation I have to take into account the thought process of the subject at the time of the incident as well as the facts. Reading over the witness statement given by her partner, if I was investigating the partner and not the subject I would have slapped her with the excessive force and revoked her licence. I am in fact inclined to suspend her licence pending a Psyche evaluation. On the matter of the subject, her statement given to first responders was… militaristic. Clean, clear cut and emotionless. There was no indication that it was a person talking at all. And if it is the case where the person feels no empathy for the complainant, is it a matter of the situation that brings out the lack of, or is it a matter of her being an illegally unregistered Ex-Military who's spiralling."

Duo rolled his eyes to the heavens, "Give me a break 'fei, seriously what is it with preventer and the Ex-military thing anyway? Yeah there are a lot of soldiers who went off the deep end when the wars ended, but there where a but load of soldiers, and the stistics are only 5% of the whole masses have some kind of PTSD that is beyond the scope of the expected range. Who is to say that the subject in this case doesn't have a family who was militaristic, or maybe she detaches herself from the situation and gives the blunt facts like some people I know." Duo made a point of staring at Wufei and then in turn Heero. "My point is, I don't see the issue with this case at all, The man stabbed her, knocked her to the ground and then tried to redecorate the pavement with her grey matter. If a broken ankle was all he got, then he got off lucky. Case closed move on."

"which is one of the reasons why you would make a good Preventer and you wouldn't." Heero said simply, "Your very cut and dry and quick to come to a decision, however when it comes to the mind of someone in the position Wufei finds himself in, it's difficult because he must pick apart a decision and action that took less then the blink of an eye and look at every factor every alternative that could have been taken and come to a conclusion based not on his experience as a soldier or even a field agent, but based off of the law. It's conflicting and it's not a job I would want or could do."

Wufei shrugged, "At the end of the day I am fairly certain that I will lean in the direction Duo is already firmly planted. However it's just, well if you saw the woman's picture you'd understand."

Duo rose his brow, clearly misconstruing every word of Wufei's statement, forcing Wufei to expand.

"It's her eyes, while the picture is six years old now, it reminded me of the first 'peace time' photo Relena shoved on us with out choice." Wufei looked at Heero who's face dropped into a stoic unreadable mask.

"Well, six years ago everyone was still rough around the edges. You can hardly blame the girl if she was in any kind of combat situation. Besides you haven't even met her if I missed my guess, so at least give it a chance to prove or disprove before you call it a mystery. It's not the cat in the box here, it's the simple case of _broken ankle_ v.s. _Suspicion._ Your job until given sufficient reason to jump on the War-horse-gone-rabid train, is to deal directly with the broken ankle, and nothing more." Duo looked at Heero and stuck out his tongue.

At Heero's suddenly shocked look the man hooted, "You where 'I-soldier-Me-Brooding' mode."

Wufei found the grin tugging at his lips, as Heero nodded his head in affirmation.

"I was thinking not brooding, you both know my stance on Duo's rabid train. I don't see a point in delving into it, but if you got the impression by the six year old photo and then read her statement, finding it to be _robotic_ then I would suggest making a couple calls to the society and their psychiatric testing facility to pull her files through them. If there is concern there and you find concern when you meet her, pull her licence with out question pending a full work up." Heero held up his hand to stall Duo, "Before you even start, I am not jumping on any bandwagons I am merely saying that Wufei should trust his instincts especially in matters dealing with ex soldiers, because that is the only reliable source an investigator has. No matter if the ankle injury was justified, which given what you have told us it is, she could be on the brink of a break down, or there could be something more sinister hinding in the shadows just waiting for a moment to strike. You both know the damage one person can do before they're finally put down."

Duo opened his mouth to speak, but shut it when nothing came out. Wufei knew Heero was right, they all held their own experiences with the after shocks of war.

"I call a topic change, while the conversation is engaging too much serious gives me heart burn. So What are we planning for Q-ball's Big 27?"

Wufei shook his head as Heero retorted about his sisters being in charge of the birthday party, and Duo returning with, screw the monkey suits. The rest of lunch went smoothly for Wufei, effectively shoving the entire earlier conversation out of his mind- at least for the time he was with his brothers.

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

Fourty five minutes later Wufei was walking into the interview with the complainant, one Jose Ramaro. The man was sitting in a wheelchair his ankle propped up in a foot rest. The whole foot and calf was wrapped in a cast, making the appendage look more like a giant white caterpillar then a foot and leg.

"Have you arrested the bitch who did this to me?" The man demanded as Wufei closed the door moving to sit in the seat across from the 'complainant'.

"We are in the process of determining if arrest is the necessary course of action." Wufei glanced at the attorney who looked ready to give up, inclined his head in greeting before reaching into his file bag. He pulled out two files, the first he set off to one side, the second he flipped open.

This file was Ramaro's personal file.

"It is my understanding that you where on bail for a petty theft charge is this correct?" He asked as he slid a yellow legal pad onto the table clicking open his pen.

"What does that have to do with my foot?!"

"Jose, its okay just answer the question." The lawyer spoke softly, as if talking to a petulant child. Wufei just sat waiting for the man to answer his question, when the man didn't say anything for more then thirty seconds, he repeated himself.

"Yes, okay, you could have just looked that up in my file, not that it really has anything to do with this case." The man sat back in his seat.

"Just to confirm the file, when was your court date?"

"Preventer, what is the point of this?" The lawyer questioned more for show then for any real need to know. The man was a defence attorney and knew the process in-theory.

"I have to gather a statement to prove your clients credibility consoler, my advice is to have your client answer all of my questions with avid detail and 100% truth. If he cannot recall something, say that instead of making anything up to make himself seem credible." Wufei's gaze took in the short man. Finding him to be nervously pulling at his shirt collar, and fidgeting. His hair was oil slicked back and black as the used oil in his personal car. He wore round glasses bringing to mind every stereotypical defence attorney Wufei ever saw in film.

"Mr. Ramaro, can you answer the question?"

"May 3rd this year." The man narrowed his gaze at Wufei.

"You are aware no doubt that if you fail to appear to court and you are contracted out to a bondsman that the bondsman is within their legal boundaries to sell the contract of bounty to a licensed Recovery Agent, correct?"

"Yes, Charles told me all of that when he bailed me out."

"Charles is one, Charles Tager of Second Chance Bail bonds correct?" Wufei's pen scrawled across the legal pad, his eyes remaining on Ramaro. The man nodded, saying nothing.

"Did the judge explain the terms of your Bail, and your lawyers clarify anything that you didn't understand?" Wufei watched the man look at his lawyer, his lip curling slightly.

"They explained verbally the terms of my freedom until court; however I don't know if they are the same as the terms you have on record."

Wufei felt his brows rise; the man wasn't as dumb as he looked, with his shoulder length brown hair a straggled mess, his brown eyes blood shot and sunken. And skin pasty pale from upper withdrawl, he didn't look like much.

Wufei pulled two pages from the file in front of him and handed them to the man's attorney. "These are the pages you, yourself signed both at the court offices and in the holding facility with one Charles Tager. I'll give you both a minute to look over the documents to confirm."

Wufei pretended to flip though his notes, but listened as the pages where snatched by Ramaro, who scanned the pages, and curse multiple times.

"Yeah, I was explained everything." Ramaro dropped the pages on the table, causing them to slide and fan out.

"Good, then you are fully aware that you were legally apprehended by the Fugitive Recovery Agency A.K.A. Bounty Hunter correct?"

"That bitch broke my ankle how is that legally apprehending anyone?" The man brandished his hands towards the cast, as if Wufei hadn't seen it yet.

"Regardless of injury, you where apprehended by an organization recognized by the FRA Official Board, commonly referred to as The Society. The question here that I am investigating is if the use of force was necessary, and thus if said force was excessive in the rights of the Agent in question. Not the legality of your apprehension." Wufei sat back in his seat, watching the man. "In the Case of Excessive Force, it is up to a third party investigative agency, in this case Preventer, to determine if you have just cause to sue for damages once your sentencing and time is served for both failure to appear and the petty theft charges laid against you. It is also up to us to determine if there was a criminal offence made by the subject Agent to bring further consequences to fruition. When you where originally arrested you where informed of your rights, do you remember those rights?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Yes I remember those rights, and in Section 26 of the criminal code under the sub heading of Excessive Force it states 'Everyone who is authorized by law to use force is criminally responsible for any excess thereof according to the nature and quality of the act that constitutes the excess.' Never mind in the charter of rights and freedoms that says in section 12, everyone has the right not to be subjected to any cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. When in the history of making arrests is it okay to break the "subjects" ankle? That has to be classified as cruel treatment." The man asked, bringing Wufei to sit back in his seat.

"Well, if you know the criminal code then you should know that section 27 is the use of force to prevent commission of offence sub section. Which states, 'Everyone is justified in using as much force as reasonably necessary (a) to prevent the commission of an offence (1) For which if it were committed, the person who committed it might be arrested without warrant, and (2) that would be likely to cause immediate and serious injury to the person or property of anyone.'

"There has been a rather serious accusation made on part of the arresting agent, and confirmed by photos taken by the responding officers on the night of the incident. Do you know what that accusation is?" Wufei asked watching the man swallow slowly, turning his eyes to his lawyer, who leaned into whisper in Ramaro's ear.

"I was just informed by my lawyer here that the agent is claiming that I stabbed her." The man sat back again, "Which is ridiculous considering that's a complete breech of my bail conditions to have any sort of weapon."

"You are aware that if it is found to be true, that you could face up to ten more years in prison for assault on a government official?" Wufei watched him and the man nodded. "Good, now that we're clear, I want you to give me a detailed recounting of what happened. And I would like to record this part of the interview for further review later."

"Yeah what ever, you've probably been recording this entire interview." Ramaro slouched slightly trying to cross his arms over his chest only to find his right hand was attached to the chair by a single hand cuff. "Damnit."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~X~

_Author's notes. _

_So That's chapter two part 1 in the bin, I hope you liked it, this is the second draft of the re-write of this series, and I must say that I love the series and it is fun to write. __This chapter has actually been cut in half, because the length was getting atrocious! (Seriously 30 pages) So the next installment will be Pt-two of chapter two! Don't worry I'll label it for you guys!_

_Just a note for you all, in the last section of this chapter the 'law' quotes mentioned in the chapter are from the Canadian Criminal code (1985) and The Canadian Charter of rights and Freedoms (1982) (Copied out of my College text book-Yes I am a post secondary student officially YAY) _

_On that note, I would really love to hear what you think about this series so far, so please remember to read and review, it not only helps me know where I am standing as an author, but helps me improve so you get a better reading experience._

_Thanks for reading and see y'all next time! _


	4. Chapter 2: A Preventer's Job Pt-2

_**DISCLAMIMER**__**: I do not own any of the material present from the anime/manga series Gundam Wing; I use this content under the fair usage policy of the international copyright laws, in this policy it allows for entertainment with no profit gain. I do own the Creativity Licence for the plot written within this story, as well as all original content added there in. All original content may not be duplicated or used with out (my) the authors WRITTEN Permission. **_

_**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and thank you for putting up with my disclaimer x.x**_

_**AKA Bounty Hunters**_

_**Chapter Two: A Preventer**__**'**__**s Job Pt-2**_

The interview with Ramaro had been enlightening, the man was actually half intelligent considering his file labelled him as a drug abuser. He had kept nearly exactly to the collaborative statements made by the AKA bounty hunters 'agents'. He had left out the bit where they had cornered him, saying instead that someone blind sided him brought him to the ground and in some freaky kung-fu move broke his ankle like a twig, while he was already face down in the mud.

Wufei didn't believe him but that wasn't the point, he still had to gather all the evidence and put it together to form a file that could prove beyond reasonable doubt that Jose Ramaro had gone after two Fugitive Recovery Agents with a short knife and that he had to be put down hard.

So this lead to Wufei sitting in front of AKA Bounty Hunter's home address, as they where like Samson had said over the phone earlier in the day, _sub-contractors_ meaning people came to them for jobs and they didn't go looking for them.

All three operators of AKA Bounty lived in a multi story warehouse, which held an empty office/retail space on the front main level. Parking his car Wufei climbed out and walked to the front door. He hit a buzzer which brought a voice to say, _"Come on up, Follow the stairs to the top."_

Unlike some Preventers Wufei believed in calling a head, not in the cases of a homicide investigation, but when it came to an arrest where the 'complainant' was injured and it was hardly a surprise. There was in his opinion, no point in making enemies in the law enforcement sector when he didn't need to. He was well aware of how people thought of Preventer- with a grimace.

As he reached the top of the stairs a woman stood holding the door open for him. He recognized the woman from the basic profiles of AKA Bounty Hunters' Operators. He hadn't paid attention beyond the subject and the complainant. However he remembered at least her name.

Kekko Yurigami stood five feet two inches off the ground, her hair was long wavy chestnut, and her eyes naturally heterochromatic, the left blue, the right green.

"Captain Chang, I would welcome you to our offices, however as I am sure you're perfectly aware, one does not welcome the jury to their homestead." The woman stepped to one side allowing him to step inside.

"Perfectly understandable." He agreed sliding his shoes off at the door, well aware that this was not only their place of business but their home as well. It was engrained in him at a young age, that shoes where removed before entering any homestead, regardless of who's it was. _Arresting a suspect however didn't count. _

She flicked her eyes at his shoes then at him again, her expression was one of curiosity, yet not of the kind normally received from a female to a man. With out skipping a beat she turned and started to walk.

"I am sure Martha has already faxed you her medical summary including all prescriptions given, however I am warning you now, that Ayame has not taken a single pain suppressant since your phone call this morning. They effect her ability to think and she prefers to have all official meetings with a clear head." As Kekko spoke they walked through a short hallway that opened into the central living area.

Wufei felt his eyes widen, if the external shell of the structure was supposed to be camouflage then it worked well. He had been expecting concrete and industrial finishing's. He was wrong.

Directly in front of him was a small closet spaced half bathroom, most likely for guests to use at their leisure, beside which along the outer wall was a large buffet kitchen with a bar that opened the space into the main entertainment area.

Turning to follow Kekko's progression into the main living space the first thing that caught Wufei's eye was a black spiral stair case that lead to the third floor which was a semi-loft like space. Directly to his right was a section lined with book shelves, filled with books and three large chairs that reclined. A small table with a lamp sat between the empty space of the chairs. The reading area was tucked underneath the over hang of the third floor, giving it a cozy and relaxing image. The area was marked by a plush crème coloured throw carpet.

He made a slow progression past the reading area and out into the open air-space, where the ceiling disappeared another ten feet above his head. A large projector screen was lowered along the wall beside the spiral stair case, with two couches and a chair creating a home theatre system that rivalled anything he had seen outside the life styles of the rich and famous.

Between the reading nook, and the home theatre was a smaller television hook up with every kind of entertainment system he had ever heard of. An arcade game that he hadn't heard of, _DDR_, but it looked pre-colonial and expensive. He had gotten to be a good judge of how much things cost having two of his brothers submerged into the extravagance of _celebrity life._

Still following Kekko, who was silent now and standing at the bottom of the stairs he caught sight of yet another space, beside the kitchen. It looked like a sparring area, a punching bag was resting in a corner, along with free weights and a thick mat lined the floor meant to absorb impacts from being thrown.

He took all of this in and more in a matter of seconds, as Kekko turned to look at him. "So needless to say, she may be irritable and I wanted to warn you of this in advanced so you can be prepared."

"Noted, and appreciated." He responded as she started up the stair case. As he climbed up he caught sight of speakers attached to the railing that contained the upstairs and kept people from falling to the second floor.

At the top of the stairs Wufei took in everything at once. Their home office space held three computers, each in their own corner. Two computer desks where against the exterior wall, while the third was directly to his left, against a thin false wall.

He saw two doors, down the hallway on the right hand side. One directly at the end of the hall, which looked secured and reinforced- most likely to house their tools of the trade. The loft space was 'L' If the L was laying on it's side.

Down the short half of the loft was a door that faced him, and one at the end of the balcony space. On the short half he noted the railing held what looked like living ivy. Glancing over his shoulder he noted plants scattered through the space that had looked miniscule in the whole space but from the above perspective it looked like a garden had sprouted.

Sitting in the center of the office space where two women, the first looked to be Akira Hiensmen, she was watching him with narrowed nearly hate filled green eyes. Her red hair appearing windblown with it's short almost _Heero _style. Her feet where propped up on a round table as if she had all the time in the world.

As Kekko walked past her, she pulled the woman's feet off the table with out comment. Sitting on the woman's right was Ayame Taylor. She sat impassively her blue eyes watching his every move, in the blink of an eye he felt as if she had seen into the deepest parts of his mind and laid them on the table.

The illusion was added to as she slowly sat up, the fingers on her right hand flexing despite the sling keeping her arm pinned to her torso.

"Captain." she said slowly, her voice like that of gruff velvet. He inclined his head, setting his bag on the table.

"I have been over your companies file, and as I am sure your aware these interviews have to be done individually, is there a place where we can set up?" he asked, keeping his gaze on the subject.

He saw Akira move to open her mouth, but Ayame beat her to the punch. "We will do our interviews here, the other two will retire to their rooms until you need them at which time the interviewed will retrieve them, is this acceptable for you?"

"_It damn well better be."_ Akira muttered, and Wufei pretended he hadn't heard it.

"That will be acceptable, this isn't a murder investigation simply an excessive force. Now, Miss Yurigami as you weren't on scene at the time I'll start with you." Wufei pulled his gaze from Ayame's penetrating stare to look at the other woman.

"Alright." She nodded, as Ayame stood up, her left hand nonchalantly gripping Akira's arm dragging her from her chair. The woman sputtered at the sudden motion falling into step begrudgingly. Wufei watched both women walk to the other side of the balcony and disappear into the door facing him.

"Let us begin shall we?" He asked as the door closed, pulling out his own note pad.

* * *

"Okay what the hell?" Akira snipped turning on her the moment her door was closed. "Do you want to lose your licence?"

"I will not lose my licence." Ayame sighed, sitting down on her bed her hand reaching up to unhook her shoulder strap for the sling. The fact that she had it on still shocked and amazed her. The thing was beyond annoyance.

"_You're _the subject of the investigation, I'm the only other person that was witness to the _crime_ and we're in here chatting it up like we're plotting to keep our stories straight." Akira paced back and forth from her bamboo wall to her bed.

"He has already made up his mind about the investigation, this is only formalities." Ayame said simply trying to reach behind her to undo the back strap that kept her arm from moving. "Do you mind?" She asked shifting so Akira would do it.

"Why are you taking that off now? Are you trying to make Kekko crazy?" Akira asked giving up on her minor rant, if Ayame wasn't worried about her licence then she wouldn't be worried either. Wasn't her finical situation that needed looking at.

"No." Ayame answered slowly her eyes sliding to look up at her, after a moment of staring she blinked, "You didn't notice?"

"Notice what?" Akira hated how elusive Ayame could be, and wasn't expecting a straight answer from the woman.

"That isn't just a Preventer captain you where giving cut eye to." Ayame stood from her bed testing her right arm, wincing a couple of times as feeling came rushing back to the sleeping appendage. Her stab wound was healing nicely, but she had to be cautious not to rip the stitches- they where too new still three more days and she would be able to start using her arm like _mostly_ normal. Which meant she'd be picking up the weights again.

"I don't honestly give a flying fuck who that is in the office, they're a Preventer and they're going to make my life difficult. Bad enough he is getting an eye full of my set up, if he actually knows anything about computers I'm screwed. Or did you forget that Preventer already raided me once?"

Ayame couldn't contain the dark chuckle that worked up her throat. "Oh he certainly knows more than something about computers. At least he better having piloted a multi million dollar WMD constructed of 75% computers 15% Armaments and 10% Gundanium."

"Who care-" Akira paused in her resumed pacing and whipped around to look at her. "What. The. Hell?!"

"That is Captain Chang, Wufei. Head of the 22nd investigations unit here in capitol. His unit normally works homicides, but he is registered to work external-relations cases like this. Looks like I drew the short straw." Ayame shrugged, "Just try not to jerk him around too much, because there is a reason why he thrives in the Preventer atmosphere."

"What? He's a jerk with a superiority complex?"

Ayame chuckled, amazed at how a woman with the brain that Akira had, could find a way to simplify things to the extent of grouping people together.

"No, Because during the war he was called the Dragon of Justice. For a woman who worked how you did back then you really didn't pay much attention did you?"

Akira shrugged, "What did I care about some kids piloting Gundams? They didn't get in my way, and I didn't get into theirs. What more did I need to know?"

"Plenty, and it shocks me how you ever survived with out knowing more. But then again, sometimes the best way to survive is to keep your nose to one pile of shit at a time eh?"

Akira rolled her eyes, "Lord knows that everyone was covered in it."

"Indeed. Now, I know you can act but don't rely on the fact that he won't sniff out the acting a mile away. Be your self just tone down the hate-on you have for Preventer. I know it's justified, but you can't afford to piss off a gundam pilot. They're not known for being resentful, but it's better not to risk it."

"Oh yeah and why's that?" Akira questioned brow raised as she flopped backwards on Ayame's bed.

"Because I don't know of anyone who's pissed them off and wanted to talk about it after the fact. Just leave it to general Preventer hating and don't make it personal. He could have dragged us into the city center at this time of the day to have these interviews in stuffy closets with all eyes watching us. Take that into consideration."

The woman on her bed shrugged, "We'll see how I feel when I start talking to him."

Ayame wondered if she'd even get to talk to him before a fight broke out.

* * *

Wufei watched Akira stalk down the hallway and pound on the door she had been summoned from. The door opened, the woman's hands flitted back and forth before she shoved her way past into the room beyond as Ayame Taylor walked out towards him.

The first thing he noted was the sling was missing from her arm. Freeing her injury from it's confines could have been a coincidence but he doubted it, given how the woman he had just spoken to looked like a corked bottle ready to pop. She had been holding in most of her sarcasm and attitude, yet still he wanted to take a shower to wash off the contagion.

"I see that Akira managed not to insult you over much." The woman said as she sat in the seat across from him.

"I don't take it personally anymore, the uniform garners me a lot of _insult _apparently." He answered swiftly, forcing himself to shove the bubbles of his own controlled annoyance down. He was after all a professional who needed to concentrate.

"As I am sure you have gathered by the fact that we're not at Preventer H.Q., this interview is just a formality, to keep the higher up's happy. With that being said, I will need to record this conversation for the record." Wufei pointed to the small black recorder on the table. Noting the woman's gaze didn't shift a millimetre in it's direction.

"Yes, I had come to that conclusion, and I was also expecting to be recorded. I have nothing to hide from the investigation nor am I afraid of the out come. I am however in a fair amount of pain and would like to go back to recovering so why don't we get this started?" The woman settled back in her seat, but as she did so Wufei heard the chair click- her feet no doubt locking the wheels of the chair to prevent her from rolling.

"I was informed by your roommate and partner that you have refused to take your pain management medication to keep a sober mind for the record. It has been noted to file, with the appreciation of Preventer and the justice department. Now, we'll begin with the basics- Name, age, and FRA registration business and licence numbers."

He watched her take a slow controlled breath, as she gave the information she watched him as closely as he was watching her. To him it was like looking into a mirror her expression a controlled stoic mask, her eyes void of thought, her voice missing mannerisms that most people held when speaking. She was the epitome of neutral as if auto pilot had activated.

"On May 6th this year, in your own words what event occurred that brought this investigation into fruition, and what are your thoughts on the accusation of excessive force?"

The woman shifted slightly as if a tension had transferred from her shoulders to her back, then as if it had never been there, the tension disappeared altogether.

"May 6th this year was the evening AKA bounty hunters completed a contract for arrest for one fugitive _Jose Ramaro._ In the process of completing this contract the subject of, incurred injury to his right ankle, requiring medical attention. In the event, I, Ayame Taylor was the one who subjected _Jose Ramaro_ to the injury. My thoughts on the accusation of excessive force, are varied. Professionally I expected the investigation the moment his bone broke. I personally have better things to fill my thoughts with then an investigation over an action I deemed necessary to take in order to ensure my personal safety and the safety of my partner Akira Hiensmen."

Wufei took a slow breath before opening the file on the table before him. He didn't need to look at it, but felt the need to stall for time in order to gather his thoughts. The woman was completely different then her two partners, he needed a moment to simply adjust to the new extreme, or rather lack thereof.

"What brought you to believe that you or your partner where in immediate danger?" Even to his own ears the question sounded scripted, and while it was to some extent, he could have done a better job of it.

"There where multiple factors to take into account, the most prevalent being that he had already stabbed me with a weapon that went against his bail contract. While I cannot speak about his personality while sober, the fact that the man was on uppers was also another factor I had to take into account. As I am sure you and your superiors are aware a subject on any kind of mind altering drug whether prescription or recreational are like a mistimed bomb, they eventually go off and it's not normally quiet nor with out fatality. The final factor was however, following the realization of the man's mental state due to the drugs, and being stabbed, when I was knocked to the ground and the man with every intention of killing me rose his booted foot off the ground attempting to slam it against my face."

Given the woman had three days earlier lived through an event that most people would find somewhat traumatic Wufei was surprised to find no infliction of emotion in her voice. While Akira had been rage filled, and Kekko calm yet anxious, Ayame Taylor had no hint of her true thoughts or feelings on the matter. Which in turn told Wufei more about the woman then he had known just by reading her file.

The woman had great control over herself, either because she had no choice or because she was frightened of herself. In either case, the control was there and it could be used to either mislead or to hide simple truths that made all the difference between _acceptable _and _excessive_.

"Explain to me how you managed to not only avoid the killing strike, but also bring a man with seven inches on you to the ground and break his ankle."

The woman shifted again this time placing her arms on the table, the chair clicked as she pulled it closer to said table and clicked again as she settled.

"It is a rather simple manoeuvre if one can keep their wits about them in that sort of a situation. As the assaulting foot is traveling down towards your face you shift your body towards the stationary foot, using one of your hands to deflect the foot travelling towards you. This forces the person off balance and usually slams their foot to the ground, now you are between their legs, and no matter the gender a swift punch between there will stun the assailant. I however didn't resort to the punch as I have the reflexes to pull the move out with out needing to stagger the attacker. You roll towards the foot that just landed, hook your arm around their ankle, and your hand against the back of their knee. Pull their knee joint into unlocking as your rolling back towards their stationary foot, as you do so your further throwing off their balance and they end up face down on the ground. While your rolling in one fluid motion you roll up onto their thigh, Planting your feet to give you stability. Your hands then wind up holding their foot, which then gives you all the manoeuvrability to either, on a sober person to over extend the ankle joint, and on a person who is effected by uppers which block pain receptors, you can easily snap their ankle with out much pressure. It is one of the many techniques I teach in the women's self defence seminars I host every month."

Wufei had figured that was the move she had made, however with the confirmation of, he had also gleaned a new look at the woman sitting across from him. She had grew attentive when speaking of the act, not in a way to relive the event as most repeat excessive force offenders he had witnessed, but in a way that spoke of someone teaching something.

"And that effectively ended the threat by bringing Ramaro's mind onto the pain rather then yourself?" He asked, and the woman nodded slowly.

"On the pain and threatening our lively hood through a lawsuit."

Wufei glanced at the file, and decided that he needed to shake the woman in front of him as best as he could. "As am I sure your aware during an excessive force investigation, or an investigation of any kind dealing with injury to a suspect or fugitive the investigator always runs a preliminary background check." As he spoke he watched the woman's neutrality slipping, and continued regardless, he needed to get a look at the person hiding behind the calm exterior. Not only for himself, but for the investigation, it wouldn't do to have someone accuse him of scripting the interviews. "While I reviewed your background check I noticed a few things."

"Oh?" She asked, her tone more warning then curious.

"For one I noticed that your file has a few restricted or flagged incidences in it. Normally when a subject of an investigation holds more then one flagged event we investigators need to take a look behind those curtains to ensure those flags do not have any basis on their investigation." Wufei sat back in his seat. "the first flag was in your background history going back to about 195. And normally we would by-pass this given other information in the file, yet, your file wasn't active again until 199 and your not listed as ex military."

The woman remained silent, her eyes holding steady, yet as she blinked Wufei thought he saw what appeared to be anger or fear building in her gaze. "Would you care to explain that?"

"Not at this time, as it holds no bounds on this investigation, and if you so choose to dig into that history and have the security clearance then I can do nothing under the public safety and freedom of information acts." The woman opened her eyes again, all agitation once again vanished from her gaze. Yet, instead of a steady calm Wufei saw the look of someone who had expected to be found eventually, and most definitely held something to hide.

"How about something more recent then? What of the 201-202 year? That file is flagged and sealed in both your personal history and the company history, yet if I look at either of your partners history there is no mention of a flag for that year."

She nodded slowly, "Which would make sense considering neither one of them where part of the company or licensed for fugitive recovery at the time. As for the reason pertaining to the sealed access I am under an executive order not to speak of it again with out clearance. If you have the clearance for the flag, then you would have no reason to ask me about it. Not that it holds barring on this case either."

"Well since you cannot speak about it, why don't we talk about the unsanctioned death in 204?"

Ayame shifted again this time turning her body to one side, a tact often used when a person was feeling threatened or cornered. Yet Wufei held a feeling that it was more of a comfort issue then anything else. "The Unsanctioned death, if you had looked into the investigation was deemed as accidental on part of the fugitive." She crossed her legs, "I was on a hunt, and the man was a runner, he bolted out into oncoming traffic hoping that I would not follow him. He never got a chance to find out as a shuttle transport truck speeding in excess of 10 Mp/H hit him and killed him instantly. The event was beyond my control, and could have been avoided if the fugitive hadn't decided to run, or had decided to turn left or right inside of tempting fate."

Wufei conceded the point with a nod, "Is there anything you'd like to add to the report, questions? Comments?"

"Nothing, I know the due process as I am sure you are aware this isn't the first E.F. investigative report this company has been through, I am also aware your thinking of having me evaluated not only in fire arms proficiency but also having a psychological evaluation done, before conditional reinstatement following a doctors okay." Ayame slowly stood from her seat. "I welcome such evaluations, as they will go a step further to keeping further investigations such as these from occurring and will help forgo the automatic reaction of law suits."

Wufei stalled, _who the hell welcomes psychological evaluations?_ he asked himself silently, then nodded sharply. "You are going to receive notice for evaluation in all those areas as you have said. Given the flags in your file the interviewer will have access to those flags and they will want to know more about that, in your own words." He couldn't help himself but attempt to ruffle her feathers, he had to see her reactions, it was a strange urge- childish even, yet, the woman put his hair on end. Almost like she wasn't human. Or worse, it was almost like looking at any of his brothers at the end of the war.

If the woman was still _that _mindset and she hadn't snapped yet, it was a scary thought as to what it would take for her to implode, or worse, explode. As she herself had said, _mistimed bombs eventually explode and were not with out fatality._

Wufei knew he would be flagging her on a watch list. While he disliked such lists, they where necessary.

"Then I have nothing more, I'll show myself out. I suggest you rest, a stab wound isn't something to take lightly, your doctor gave you the sling for a reason. I _would_ use it." He said by way of farewell, standing and lifting his file from the table. Stacking his file and note pad, he slid them into his carry bag, and left the warehouse more suspicious and curious then he had been during his lunch meeting with Yuy and Maxwell.

* * *

She waited long enough for him to make it to the main exit before sliding her chair towards Akira's computer. She flicked on the monitor, and Alt-tabbed the screen to their security camera's. Having long ago been drilled on the proper keyboard short cuts for the program, Ayame zoomed the camera facing the Preventer's car to it's maximum resolution.

"Spying on the enemy?" Akira quipped as she leaned against the round table. Ayame, hardly in the mood for friendly banter watched the screen her gaze narrowed. She wasn't per-say ticked off, but she was vastly uncomfortable with how interested the man had been about her files.

Of course nothing in the file was of any consequence to the case at hand, and the Psychological evolution was standard, at least in all the investigations she had undergone in her time as a 'Fugitive recovery agent'. Yet, despite knowing that on a conscious level, Ayame couldn't help but feel she was on the precipice of some great event, and would later look back on such and go think, '_I should have known_'.

It was an unnerving feeling, especially given that while she had used her real name, her given family name, she had gone to a lot of trouble to hide her activities during the war. To hide who and what she had become during those times of blood and fire, yet, she knew if anyone was going to uncover the unspoken it would be that Preventer.

If for nothing more than to answer his own niggling questions.

She couldn't blame him, considering she would have done the same in his shoes, yet she knew she would. It was a curious sensation to know a head of time how she would react when her carefully constructed cocoon of post-war safety was broken.

She had been one of the ones who had come out of the war more or less intact in the terms of psychological stability. She had flash backs, and nightmares, questions of guilt and what if's but any soldier who ever said they held none of that was a liar. No one could live through a war, be on the front lines, call themselves a soldier in the truest sense, and not have flashbacks.

Yet she had been able to cope with them, after a time. In the lag time between the Eve wars (As the whole of 194-196 was essentially two separate wars back to back) and the week of the remnant coup, she had been recovering from an explosion she almost didn't make it out of.

She had been listed as a civilian, and that was exactly how she liked the medical staff to believe it. She didn't say anything when asked about her nightmares, beyond that there was lots of fire and she was burning.

Ayame had been surviving, and her ragged existence back then could have hardly been considered survival. By the time some of her fellow soldiers had found her, she had been a mess. They dragged her out of the sterile rooms of the hospital, and back into the fold of security and family she had been without.

She had needed them as much as they had needed her. She still needed them which was why she was so bothered by Morris' lack of communication. She _had_ said that she would go hunting for him, and that _had been_ a fatal error. She had forgotten just how stubborn the man was if he didn't want to be found. She didn't want to alert the _media_ but she was concerned greatly.

Which didn't make her life any easier, with the looming Preventer and his no doubt blood hound like nose, Morris and essentially useless to herself for the next week if not more, she was feeling angry. She didn't allow for depression, not anymore.

"He's gone you know." Akira's voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she spun away from the desk to face the woman watching her with suspicious eyes.

"I am well aware, I was just thinking." She lied through her teeth, knowing that she could at times such as these. She needed her thoughts to herself, otherwise the people she kept close would worry and that would only cause more problems. "Have you gotten anywhere in the-"

"No I haven't. I would have told you if I had. Stop chewing the bone, you've called Willamina, and she knows that you couldn't do anything about it anymore then she could-"

"Yes, I could have. I could have simply ignored the man's wishes and gone with my gut, instead I am sitting here useless while he's god knows where." Ayame interrupted, watching the woman's suspicious eyes turn to surprised.

"Wow. You're more worried then I thought." The woman stood from the table and tugged her chair behind her. "What's got you so riled, weren't you the one who told us just yesterday that Morris was the best there was during the war?"

"I am in pain, and not enjoying the idea that an ex-gundam pilot has hold of my file. If I know anything about the gundam pilots, and I would hope I do, they're like rabid pit-bulls. Once they catch the scent of prey, or in this case, suspicion, they don't let go until they have every available question answered to the fullest." Ayame leaned back in her chair, her left arm draping over her eyes. "There was a reason why I didn't join Preventer, and it isn't because they're green. I didn't want my life displayed all over the place just like him, just like all five of them. I don't need to be known the world over, and I like my simple life."

"Well, I did tell ya not to keep using your original name, it was bound to come up sooner rather then later. Besides, it just goes to show that after ten years I think you've had it pretty easy considering just how _not_ green Preventer is. Your name should have popped on their radar a long time ago." Akira started typing on her computer, Ayame lifted her arm to glare at Akira, only to catch sight of the screen. The woman was working on the orbiting satellites memory for the night of their hunt.

Ayame instantly removed her glare before Akira turned around, the woman was trying to help, it wouldn't do to ruffle her feathers.

"I will not disrespect my family by hiding under a false name. Besides, that's how you where first put on their radar, your fake identity and your interesting pass times."

"Hey, It's hardly my fault that Preventer was slow on the uptake, and got pissy about it. It was hardly illegal poking at old Organization of the Zodiac files to find that what's what on missing persons of interest. Hell they where only butt hurt that I managed to get around a couple dozen fire walls and security software written by one of the wonder boys." Akira shrugged, "They didn't and still don't know that I was raised on code."

"I thought you where raised in the circus." Kekko quipped in as she rounded the corner, holding a foil packet and the blue sling.

"I don't need them. Not yet. I'd rather have a clear mind for a while." Ayame stated simply, as Kekko set the objects on the table beside her.

"I am not fighting you on it, you're an adult, but if your recovery time goes to shit don't come crying to me about it later." with that Kekko moved around the table to her desk in the opposite corner.

Suddenly the room felt too crowded, which was rare for Ayame to feel in a home of the size the warehouse was. At times it almost felt too big, but at that moment, she just felt too… watched. She knew her sisters well, and she knew that was exactly what they where doing. Pretending _not_ to watch her so they could keep a closer eye on her.

She was hardly in the mood.

She stood abruptly and walked down to the main level, she took her time in the entertainment level, checking on each plant's soil as she passed, not thinking, not planning, just doing. After about twenty minutes of silence from the troublesome two-some, and finding the soil to be adequate Ayame walked under the balcony and down the hall, scooping up the company car keys on her way past.

"Where are you going?" Kekko's voice asked from above, echoing slightly with distance.

"Out." Was all she said, pleased and mildly perturbed that the woman's hawk-like ears had gotten better with age, and experience.

"Don't do anything stupid." Akira called out, "As I will know about it the moment it happens."

"Don't make me pull the lo-jack out by the cables Akira." Ayame quipped back, in a semi-normal play-by. She slid on her runners, and grabbed her light jacket from the closet as she left the _main level _and walked to the _street level_. On that level the stairs which faced the front of the building were encased in a hall way with three doors. The street exit, which the preventer had taken, An Office entrance (one that was unused 95% of the time) and a garage entrance.

The Garage Entrance was located under the stairs facing the back of the building. Ayame turned out the Garage entrance and slid into the never locked car. Stuck the keys in the ignition and pulled out.

True to her word, Akira was watching her, and opened the large garage door long enough for Ayame to back out, before the door was closed via-computer controls.

Reaching into the center console Ayame pulled out a pair of sunglasses and pulled down the unpaved alley way.

She drove for all of twenty minutes before finding herself parked across from the 7th pier in the industrial sector. Her right arm throbbed something vicarious, yet, she ignored it as she looked at the dock where the man she had looked up to and trusted beyond herself had supposedly gone to three nights prior.

The dock was in a state typical for an industrial loading dock, the thing was made of concrete and rebar, with a rectangle cut out of the whole sea wall, just waiting for a ship to pull in. The street lighting was bright enough, or should have been, yet given the amount of dirt and crude caked onto the glass covering, Ayame could see the light being yellow instead of false white/blue, and most likely flickering.

The two would have met, Morris in his car, sitting with the engine off, waiting for some kind of signal from his source. Watching the area around him, all doors locked to the car, the trunk pushed right up against the loading dock as far as it would go with out dumping him in the wet.

She saw the rain, and the mist, felt the humidity, the thunder rumbling in the distance. She tried to put herself in Morris' shoes, what was he seeing, feeling, sensing as he had called her wondering as if he would need back up later in the night.

She should have gone to the pier instead of running in the rain. Kekko and Akira would have called up a new-be hunter in the area and given them a training lesson, most likely co-ordination and tactics, running the whole show differently. She wouldn't have been stabbed, and she'd know what the hell happened to Morris.

Opening her car door intent on getting out the of vehicle she froze, her gaze watching the pier, then the car. If she was trying to get someone out in the open…

Slowly she climbed out of the car, less then twenty feet between the pier and the warehouses, all it would take was someone who knew the alleyways behind the warehouses and had a way of making skizzy say things he didn't know squat about.

The perpetual knot in the pit of Ayame's stomach turned into an iron ball. She closed her car door, and leaned against it, suddenly dizzy.

When the world righted itself again, she looked out over the water, a giant body of unmarked graves, a giant body that didn't get dragged by Preventer until four months from present.

Her shaded gaze caught sight of the E20 remnants standing in the water, mostly pillars of concrete no one had bothered to pay to deconstruct, and beyond those was the 2E20, the replacement created after the war had decimated the entire region.

She slid into her car, and put the vehicle into drive, bound for the far side of the canal, and towards the one person she could talk to- needed to talk to about her thoughts on Morris' mortality.

* * *

Wufei sat back in his seat, his gaze trained on the open file on his desk. What had been handed to him was an excessive force report, yet what he was looking at was a Pandora's box of questions. Questions that he had tried his best to unravel with out opening the box.

It had taken him the better part of the afternoon to touch the tip of the iceberg. He could sense there was more to be found, buried under fifteen metric tons of crap and false hoods. Yet, as Duo had rightfully said at lunch earlier in the day, it was still an excessive force report. There was no point ten years later to dig up a past that hadn't been found before.

Yet, Wufei's well honed instincts not only from the war, but the years of field work that followed after it where screaming at him to dig deeper. What if? What if while the woman appeared to be a regular every day tax payer playing for the _good guys _she was secretly working on the next big bush fire waiting to explode in all their faces? If he had been a field agent still and came across the file, he wouldn't need to ask for level 9 access' he would have just taken them and dealt with the consequences.

Now, well now he was tied to a desk with a director who held a vendetta over his career choices and was making his life rather difficult. Thus the file, still incomplete lay flat on his desk staring at him. Slowly his coal eyes slid to his computer.

He had sent a request to Director Une Hours ago to approve the level 9 access for all of Taylor's sealed archives. Nothing was signalling that the messages had been read, never mind approved. He opened the Date logs file, and updated the psycharitrist board. He blocked the appointment for five days time, printed the hard copy for the file and slid it into place.

The Head Doctor would determine if Ayame Taylor was mentally qualified to take the proficiency exam for fire arms, and recertification. If there should be conditions made, or removed on their licensing. Wufie had peeked into the woman's Instructional logs for the Arms safety board and learned a few things that hardly surprised him.

'_Like the fact that she had gone under the radar as long as she had.'_ his mind thought with out his consent. He would be like a dog with a bloody bone and he knew it, there was no doubt that the woman had seen action, or at least was damn well trained for it. Given her age and identity where real as far as he could tell, if they where fakes they where top quality of the kind his brothers had been given to use.

He opened a program that he had helped construct with Barton and Yuy, he typed in Ayame's Name, and license information as well as work permit information. He clicked the search bar, watching as the Background digger started sniffing around for all information available on the _fugitive recovery agent_.

The log counter said it would be another eight hours before it would be finished. Turning off his monitor Wufei stood from his seat, stretching out his back in the process. Closing the quickly thickening file Wufei slid it into his active drawer picked up his coat and decided home would be a good place to go.

Pulling his phone from his hip, he checked the _link-it_ applications, finding no word from the director he turned off the screen and left Preventer for the night.

* * *

_Authors Notes: YAY Chapter Two is Completed! Phew, that was a lot to cover in one chapter- but you'll be glad that I did. Better to get this stuff out early so we can deal with the action-y stuff, and other tid-bits that I want to put in here._

_I know I have a bad history with finishing stories, this is why it is taking me so long to put out my chapters. I don't want to loose my muse for this one and I am taking a slightly different approach._

_Hopefully it doesn't all become apparent straight away. Don't worry we're going to get to the serial killer again soon, I promise! WHOOT!~_

_I don't think I should be excited about that… but call me crazy, I am. _

_So, between school, and getting ready for criminal justice studies starting in November (drat) I am hoping to have this story in a nice neat bow before posting each chapter. With that being said, PLEASE REVIEW! If you notice inconsistencies, or even want to praise me on my awesome skills, then Review! (It also helps keep me inspired to put out chapters.) _

_Can't wait to see you in Chapter three (Yeah yeah I know it doesn't feel like it- like I said, better now then later when you just want the action.) _


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